1. health and fitness
2. disease
3. autism and pdd

1
35th Annual BABAT Conference
DRAFT of CONFERNCE SCHEDULE (Note: Schedule is subject to change)
THURSDAY OCTOBER 16, 2014
Time
9:00 AM9:50 AM
Tentative
Room
CCA (1st
floor)
Title and Authors
Invited Address: On the Relative Advantages of Interview-Informed, Synthesized Contingency Analyses
for Developing Treatments for Problem Behavior. GREGORY P. HANLEY (Western New England
University)
Abstract: Although a diagnosis of autism is not dependent on problem behaviors like meltdowns, selfinjury, or aggression, odds are that one or more of these types of problems will require address at some
point in the life span of a person diagnosed with autism. Behavioral intervention can be effective for
addressing these problems, especially when a functional analysis of the problem is conducted to
determine why the problem behavior is occurring. However, practitioners have reported that functional
analyses are too time consuming, sometimes unsafe for the analyst as well as for the person with
autism, and often times do not result in treatments capable of producing generalized and socially
meaningful outcomes. Developed partly in response to these concerns, the advantages of interviewinformed, synthesized contingency analyses for developing treatments for severe problem behavior will
be described in the context of the recent trend towards the standardization of the functional analysis of
problem behavior.
9:00 AM11:50 AM
Amherst
Room (10th
floor)
Workshop: BACB-Compliant Supervisor Training. KAREN R. WAGNER (TheBehaviorAnalyst.com)
Abstract: The mixed-media, BACB-Compliant Supervisor Training workshop is back, bigger and better
than ever! Incorporating feedback from the many workshops presented in the past year, this workshop
prepares BCBAs to become BACB-approved supervisors. Offered as a six-hour live workshop with an
additional 2 ½ hours online through www.TheBehaviorAnalyst.com, participants receive almost 9 hours
of content while using only 6 hours of conference time! Through live interaction, scenarios, and video,
participants will experience skill building, as well as effective documentation. Additionally, participanttrios will participate in supervisory sessions with interesting ethical dilemmas as supervisors,
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supervisees, and fidelity observers. Because of varied experience, participants will be offered choices of
clinical focus at key points in the live workshop. This helps keep all participants invested and engaged
with the material. The online material, an additional 2 1/2 CEUs at no additional cost, includes a review
of the live workshop material, video scenarios, extensive coverage of the BACB Experience Standards,
and opportunities to test understanding of the material. Space is limited, so sign up early! *This training
program is based on the BACB Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline but is offered independent of the
BACB.
9:00 AM11:50 AM
917
Workshop: Increasing Meaningful Activities in Center-Based Programs for Adults with Developmental
Disabilities. DENNIS H. REID (Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center)
Abstract: This workshop will describe ways to increase the provision of meaningful activities within
center-based programs (e.g., day activity centers, day habilitation programs, sheltered workshops) for
adults with developmental and related disabilities. Initially, the need for improvement in meaningful
activities will be summarized, focusing on the increasing prevalence of center-based programs for adults
and the frequent provision of nonmeaningful or nonfunctional activities in typical programs. Next,
validated guidelines for determining meaningful activities will be described. A research-based strategy
for working with staff to increase provision of meaningful activities will then be presented. The
guidelines and strategy will be supplemented with examples of how selected center-based programs
have successfully moved from a focus on less to more meaningful activities. The examples will include
functional activities within the domains of leisure, work, socialization, and basic routines of daily living.
Common obstacles to providing meaningful activities (e.g., frequent reliance on materials designed for
children) in adult services will also be discussed along with recommendations for overcoming the
obstacles.
9:00 AM11:50 AM
904
Workshop: Teaching Receptive Language Skills: Recommendations for Instructors. LAURA L. GROW
(University of British Columbia) & LINDA A. LEBLANC (Trumpet Behavioral Health)
Abstract: Receptive language refers to responding appropriately to another person's verbal behavior.
Most early intervention curricula focus on developing receptive language skills. The specific terms used
to refer to the receptive language programs vary considerably across early intervention curricula. In
addition, the recommendations for teaching such skills is as varied as the terms used to describe them.
The workshop will provide a conceptual analysis of the desired controlling variables for different
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receptive language programs (e.g., instruction following, receptive object labeling). Best practice
teaching recommendations will be presented with a brief review of the literature to substantiate the
recommendations. The workshop will include a discussion of the potential negative effects of deviating
from the recommendations (e.g., faulty stimulus control).
9:00 AM11:50 AM
Hadley
Room (10th
floor)
Workshop: The Role of Joint Control in Teaching Listener Responding to Children with Autism. VINCENT
J. CARBONE (Carbone Clinic)
9:00 AM11:50 AM
905
Workshop: Ethical Issues in Developing BIPs. MELISSA L. OLIVE (Applied Behavioral Strategies LLC)
10:00 AM10:50 AM
CCA
Abstract: Skinner's (1957) analysis of language has much to offer clinicians interested in teaching verbal
behavior to persons with autism. Much of the research in this area has emphasized the teaching of
speaker behavior with less work dedicated to a thorough analysis of the contingencies operating on the
behavior of the listener. Possibly due to this lack of attention cognitive explanations of comprehension,
understanding and recognition have persisted. A special form of multiple control called joint stimulus
control may provide an alternative and cogent behavioral analysis of complex listener behavior. The
purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the conceptual analysis of joint control and the
basic and applied research that has followed. Video demonstrations of the teaching of joint control with
participants from a recently published study and others will be presented to illustrate the
implementation of joint control procedures in applied settings.
Abstract: Behavior analysts are often faced with the task of developing BIPs for their clients. Participants
in this session will recognize and describe the ethical issues related to developing BIPs, list strategies for
preventing ethical issues related to developing BIPS, and discuss methods for resolving ethical issues
related to BIPs. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Guidelines for Responsible Conduct will
also be discussed and aligned with BIP development.
Invited Address: Origins of Clinical Interventions. THOMAS C. CRITCHFIELD (Illinois State University)
Abstract: If it is unethical to provide services that don't work then -- good intentions notwithstanding -it is ethically dicey to provide services that don't work perfectly. Until applied behavior analysis is
"perfect" there should be intense demand for practical innovations that improve it. I will survey and
critique some potential sources of practical innovations, identify one of special promise, and explain why
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this conduit for innovation needs help from the practitioner community to maximize its potential.
10:00 AM10:50 AM
163
Invited Address: Neural Basis of Conditioning: Implications for Complex Behavior. JOHN W. DONAHOE
(University of Massachusetts)
Abstract: Natural selection was not accepted by the biological community as the key insight into the
evolution of species until after its genetic mechanisms were discovered. If the parallel holds, the general
acceptance of selection by reinforcement as the key insight into the origins of complex behavior awaits
discovery of its neural mechanisms. The present talk describes my current understanding of the
mechanisms of reinforcement and explores their implications for several instances of complex behavior
including verbal behavior, equivalence classes, and remembering and their interpretation by means of
neural networks. This approach to complex behavior contrasts with that of mainstream psychology
which "explains" such behavior by proposing domain-specific processes and structures that are inferred
from behavioral data alone.
10:00 AM11:20 AM
162
Symposium: Clinical Behavior Analysis and Behavior Therapy: An Integrative Case Series.
Chair: JAMES K. LUISELLI (May Institute)
Session Abstract: This symposium includes three presentations that illustrate the integration of clinical
behavior analysis and behavior therapy in assessing and treating complex cases within in-patient and
out-patient settings. Each case illustrates functional assessment methodology, hypothesis formulation,
and treatment implementation within single-case experimental designs. The symposium details the
effective integration of applied behavior analysis and behavior therapy as well as recommendations for
service providers.
Classroom-based Assessment and Intervention to Decrease Inappropriate Touching in an Adolescent
with Traumatic Brain Injury. LAURA B. TURNER (University of St. Joseph), Jennifer Silber (May Institute),
& Gary M. Pace (May Institute)
Treatment of Social Phobia in an Individual with Bipolar I Disorder Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
and Interpersonal Therapy. ALEXANDER H. QUEEN, Deidre Donaldson, & James K. Luiselli (May
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Institute)
A Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for an Adolescent with Chronic and Treatment-Resistant Food
Selectivity. AARON J. FISCHER (University of Utah), Meredith Brent (Fernandes Center for Children and
Families), Jeanne Paccia (Fernandes Center for Children and Families), & James K. Luiselli (May Institute)
10:00 AM11:20 AM
168
Symposium: Making the World a Little Less Annoying though Antecedent Manipulation.
Chair: BERGLIND SVEINBJORNSDOTTIR (New England Center for Children)
Discussant: Philip N. Hineline (Temple University)
Session Abstract: These three studies examine behavior in aversive contexts. Glodowski, Thompson,
and Clayton investigate effects of distracting activities on tolerance of infant crying. Next, Jessel, Hanley,
and Ghaemmaghami discuss methods for assessing and treating problem behavior during activity
transitions from more to less preferred situations. Finally, Dickson, Cassanelli, and Steimer compare
strategies for presenting transitions to less-preferred activities to adolescents with autism spectrum
disorders.
Do Distracting Activities Increase Tolerance of an Infant Cry? KATHRYN GLODOWSKI, Rachel Thompson,
& Erica Clayton (Western New England University)
A Translational Evaluation of Problems Related to Transitions. JOSHUA JESSEL, Gregory P. Hanley, &
Mahshid Ghaemmaghami (Western New England University)
A comparison of strategies for presenting transitions to less-preferred activities to special education
students, CHATA A. DICKSON, Colton Cassanelli, & Jeffrey C. Steimer (New England Center for Children)
10:00 AM11:20 AM
174
Symposium: Recent Developments in Teaching Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Chair: REBECCA P. F. MACDONALD (New England Center for Children)
Session Abstract: Four studies highlight developments in the instructional support of individuals with
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ASDs. The first two studies investigated effects of instructional design and prompting and fading
strategies: Niemand and MacDonald developed and implemented a strategy for teaching cooking skills
that yielded recombination generalization of trained skills; and Shreiber, Reeve, Brothers, and Reeve
compared two approaches to using manual guidance in the instruction of home-living skills. The second
pair of studies investigated effects of innovative reinforcement contingencies on leisure skills and
communication: Kidder and Thomason-Sassi implemented a lag schedule of reinforcement to enhance
diversity of responding of a young man with autism; and Spanarkel, Reeve, Reeve, Sidener, and Sidener
evaluated an electronic token system in the instruction of communication skills to young people with
ASDs.
Teaching Cooking Skills Using Matrix Training and Video Prompting. LAUREN-ASHLEIGH NIEMAND &
Rebecca MacDonald (New England Center for Children)
Comparing Manual Guidance with a Most-to-least Fading Procedure to Manual Guidance Delivered
Contingent on an Incorrect Response to Teach Individuals with Autism Home-living Skills. PAUL C.
SHREIBER (Caldwell University), Sharon A. Reeve (Caldwell University), Kevin J. Brothers (Somerset Hills
Learning Institute), & Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell University)
On Establishing Response Diversity in Leisure and Daily Routines in an Individual with Autism. AIMEE
KIDDER and Jessica Thomason-Sassi (New England Center for Children)
10:00 AM11:20 AM
165
Symposium: Providing Training and Supports for Staff and Family
Chair: TBA
Session Abstract: Three papers will review recent research on training and supporting parents and staff.
In the first paper, fidelity promotion strategies were used with two parents. Results indicated that
following the implementation of these strategies, treatment fidelity of behavior support plans increased
and child outcomes improved. In the second paper, multiple-probe-across-participants designs were
used to assess the effectiveness of a peer pyramidal training program on staff performance. The results
demonstrated that all staff improved their performance on all responses that the peer trainers taught
them following implementation of the pyramidal training program. The third study evaluated the effect
of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) for families receiving services to reduce
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children's disruptive behaviors. Results indicate that PBIS supports may benefit families engaging in
home-based supports.
Promoting Parents' Treatment Fidelity of Home-based Behavior Supports Plans: Practical Applications
and a Case Example. LINDSAY M. FALLON (Bridgewater State University), Melissa A. Collier-Meek
(University of Massachusetts Boston), Lisa M. H. Sanetti (University of Connecticut), & Adam B. Feinberg
(University of Massachusetts Boston)
Peer Pyramidal Training: Effects on Direct Support Staff Teaching Skills and Generalization of Trainer
Skills. LORI L. FINN (The Sage Colleges) & Peter Sturmey (Queens College and the Graduate Center of
the City University of New York)
PBIS in the Home: Supports for Families Involved in the Children's Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI).
LINDSAY M. FALLON (Bridgewater State University), Todd M. Miller (May Institute, Inc.), Adam B.
Feinberg (University of Massachusetts Boston), & Megan R. Joy (May Institute, Inc.)
10:00 AM11:20 AM
804
Panel Discussion: Behavior Analytic Approaches to Psychiatric Illness - Anxiety, Depression & BPD
Chair: MICHAEL PETERS (Vinfen Corporation)
Panelists: SHANNON MCDONALD (Vinfen Corporation), MICHAEL DORSEY (Endicott College, &
COURTNEY BUCKLEY (Vinfen Corporation)
Session Abstract: The purpose of this panel discussion is to explore applications of applied behavior
analysis to individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders. It is estimated that 30-35% of individuals
with developmental disabilities are dually diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (The National
Association for the Dually Diagnosed). Additionally, 19.1% of individuals in the United States are
diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. 6.7% have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 1.6%
with Borderline Personality Disorder ("NIMH · The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America," n.d.)
In spite of a clear need for intervention, few behavior analysts are comfortable providing treatment for
these disorders. We hope to show participants how to think about psychiatric illnesses from a behavior
analytic perspective. The panel will offer presentations on Anxiety, Depression and Borderline
Personality Disorder. Each of these presentations will propose a theory of how these disorders may have
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developed, treatment suggestions and contraindications found in typical ABA interventions. These topics
will be discussed from a behavior analytic point of view and are intended to encourage participants to
take a behavior analytic approach to these disorders.
11:00 AM11:50 AM
CCA
Invited Address: Training Front-Line Staff to Increase Spontaneous Requests Children with Autism.
KATHLEEN DYER (River Street Autism Program at Coltsville)
Abstract: With the influx of children with autism in school settings, there is a need for evidenced-based
strategies that can be implemented to increase communication for these children. Therefore, this paper
will discuss a staff-training and feedback program to increase a) staff use of naturalistic language training
techniques and b) child production of spontaneous vocal requests in a school setting for young children
with autism. Strategies to train staff how to arrange multiple opportunities for spontaneous requesting
within ongoing classroom group activities will be presented, as well as techniques to overcome training
challenges that can occur with this type of intervention. The results of a single subject evaluation of this
intervention revealed that the training program was successful in increasing staff use of naturalistic
language training techniques. This was associated with increases in spontaneous vocal requests for all
children when staff was provided with training and feedback. These levels maintained when staff
feedback was discontinued. Interobserver agreement for for child requesting averaged 95% (range, 80%
to 100%), and for staff use of naturalistic language training techniques averaged 95% (range, 67% to
100%). Recommendations will be provided for practitioners to integrate these procedures into servedelivery programs in regular school settings.
11:00 AM11:50 AM
163
Invited Address: Working With and For One Another: Toward an Experimental Analysis of Social
Behavior. TIMOTHY HACKENBERG (Reed College)
Abstract: Social behavior is a topic of enormous scientific importance that spans disciplines from
neuroscience to anthropology. While the topic has received a good deal of empirical and theoretical
attention outside behavior analysis, it has been largely neglected within the field. In this talk, I will
describe some recent research from our laboratory in three areas of social behavior with rats. The first is
concerned with cooperative behavior, in which rats coordinate their responses in relation to a mutual
reinforcement contingency. The second is concerned with reciprocal behavior, in which two rats produce
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reinforcement for each other, alternating roles of producer and receiver. The third is concerned with the
reinforcing value of social interaction, assessed in relation to food reinforcement and under various
deprivation conditions. Together, these studies illustrate some ways in which behavior-analytic methods
and concepts might be brought to bear on the burgeoning area of social behavior.
11:30 AM1:00 PM
Student
Union
Ballroom
(2nd floor)
and Marriott
Room (11th
floor)
LUNCH
12:00 PM12:50 PM
Dukes Room
BABAT Board of Director's Meeting
1:00 PM1:50 PM
163
Invited Address: Incentives and Health: A Role for Behavior Analysts in Health Promotion. KENNETH
SILVERMAN (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
Abstract: Incentives have been used to promote health behaviors and address chronic health problems,
but the incentive interventions frequently do not employ optimal parameters and may not produce
desired outcomes. Behavior analysts could make important contributions to this field by applying
principles of operant conditioning and reinforcement to health promotion. This presentation will review
a behavior-analytic program of research on the use of incentives in the treatment of heroin and cocaine
addiction in low-income adults. That research shows that incentive interventions can be highly effective
in promoting abstinence from cocaine and heroin, but they must employ high magnitude incentives or
reinforcement to promote abstinence in treatment-refractory patients and they must be maintained
over time to prevent relapse. An application of this technology has been developed that uses access to
paid employment to reinforce drug abstinence in an intervention called the therapeutic workplace.
Controlled studies have shown that the therapeutic workplace can initiate and maintain abstinence from
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heroin and cocaine, and promote adherence to addiction medications in poor and chronically
unemployed adults. This research illustrates how behavior analysts can apply reinforcement principles to
the treatment of drug addiction. Behavior analysts could use similar approaches to address a range of
chronic health problems.
1:00 PM1:50 PM
165
Paper Session: Impulsivity and Intention
Risk and Procrastination. PAUL E. JOHNSON (University of Maine Presque Isle)
Abstract: Procrastination is an impulsive pattern of behavior where people frequently choose a larger
later aversive situation over a smaller sooner aversive situation. Little research has been conducted to
observe the effects of probabilistic reward in a delayed choice situation. In this study, sixteen college
students were required to complete twelve small writing assignments within a ninety day interval. The
assignments varied in length and in the probability of earning full credit. Results indicate the order that
participants chose to complete the assignments varied dramatically. The overall level of procrastination
varied across participants as well. However, three distinct groups of participants emerged. The first
group of participants chose to complete the guaranteed credit assignments first and completed most of
the assignments in the beginning of the interval. The second group completed the assignments in the
order they were presented consistently throughout the interval. The last group completed all of the
assignments in the last few days of the interval. Overall, these preliminary data support the emerging
hypothesis of multiple impulsivities.
A Concept of Intention. Paul Neuman (Temple University)
Abstract: Proximal causes which are fundamental to colloquial explanations of behavior may be viewed
as abbreviations of final causes which identify functional relations that are more complex descriptions
involving temporal extension. Attributing intention to behavior may be a “good” proximal cause because
it occurs under specific circumstances involving specific contingencies. That is, the functional relations of
such attributions are readily identified and may be manipulated. An initial experiment showed that
attributions of intention are more likely if the consequences of behavior are clear (salient) to the actor
and the observer from the observer’s perspective. If from the observer’s perspective the consequences
of behavior are clear to only the observer, an attribution of intention is less likely. It also suggested that
when observers had little experience with the content of a scenario, verbal behavior facilitated the
attribution of intention. When that was not the case, verbal behavior either had no effect or disrupted
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the attribution of intention (correlated hypothesizing). A second experiment showed that attributions of
intention can be manipulated with verbal antecedents. This broadens the notion that instructional
control can produce behavior when contingency-shaped behavior has weekend or never existed. This
applies to attributions of proximal causes such as the attribution of intention.
1:00 PM2:20 PM
CCA
Panel Discussion: Licensure for Behavior Analysts in Massachusetts
Session Abstract: Governor Patrick signed the Behavior Analyst licensing law in January 2013. A
Behavior Analyst Task Force was then commissioned by the Board of Allied Mental Health and Human
Services Professions to draft regulations. Guidance from staff at the Division of Professional Licensure,
various governmental agencies and public input were involved, and the regulations are now being
implemented. Applications for licensure will be accepted beginning on October 8, 2014. This panel
discussion is intended to provide information about the licensing law, the licensing regulations, the
application process that will be in place for Licensed Applied Behavior Analysts in Massachusetts.
Chair: WILLIAM H. AHEARN (New England Center for Children)
Panelists: Hon. JOHN SCIBAK (Massachusetts House of Representatives), CLINTON DICK (Massachusetts
Division of Public Licensure), & RACHAEL PAUZE (Massachusetts Division of Public Licensure)
1:00 PM2:20 PM
168
Symposium: Extending Preference and Reinforcer Assessment Applications
Chair: LAURA A. HANRATTY (Western New England University)
Session Abstract: The current symposium is designed to evaluate different applications of preference
assessments, as well as reinforcer assessments. In study one, the preference for work activities was
assessed using duration-based and response-restriction assessments. Results demonstrated that the
response restriction format produced more reliable and differentiated results across participants, and
functional engagement was the most sensitive method of measurement. The study also assessed
individuals' preference for work activities with and without the presence of reinforcement and
prompting, and showed preference was affected by the addition of prompting and reinforcement. Study
two evaluated independent and combined preference assessments of three stimulus categories,
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including edible items, leisure items, and forms of attention, as well as reinforcer variations. The results
showed that Results show that edible items are more preferred than leisure items and leisure items are
more preferred than forms of attention. Although all items functioned as reinforcers, leisure and edible
items were more potent reinforcers than were social stimuli when assessed concurrently. Study three
evaluated the efficacy of less common dimensions of positive reinforcement, as well as the relative
preference of these conditions. Results of the study showed that reinforcer variation, predictability,
choice, and reliability maintained responding, and preferences were assessed.
A Comparison of Methods to Assess Preference for Work Activities with Individuals Diagnosed with
Autism and Intellectual Disabilities. BRITTNEY LUCIBELLO (New England Center for Children),
Jacqueline N. Potter (New England Center for Children), Gregory P. Hanley (Western New England
University), & Michele F. Klein (New England Center for Children)
Combined- Category Preference Assessments: Do Edible and Leisure Items Displace Attention? NICOLE
GOLDBERG, Eileen M. Roscoe, Maureen Kelly, & Hailee Stuesser (New England Center for Children)
Evaluating Efficacy of and Children's Preference for Less Common Dimensions of Positive Reinforcement.
LAURA A. HANRATTY & Gregory P. Hanley (Western New England University)
1:00 PM2:20 PM
162
Symposium: Social Validity Assessment of Direct-Care Providers in Human Services Organizations
Chair: JAMES K. LUISELLI (May Institute)
Session Abstract: Social validity assessment is a recommended practice for evaluating satisfaction and
acceptability of instructional and intervention procedures. However, social validity assessment can also
be conducted with large scale "systems level" issues. This symposium first provides an overview of social
validity and reports on the percentage of applied research studies in two major journals that include
measures of social validity. The following presentations describe direct-care providers' ratings of (a)
procedures to improve their intervention integrity, and (b) resources and support within human services
settings. The symposium presenters will discuss the process and implications of social validity
assessment to address these organizational concerns.
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Current Trends of Social Validity: How Applied Behavior Analysis is Breaking Our Hearts. KELLY A.
CARLILE, Ruth M. DeBar, & Briana D. Tingler (Caldwell University)
Social Validity Assessment of Training Methods to Improve Treatment Integrity of Special Education
Service Providers. CRAIG STROHMEIER (Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine), Christina Mule' (Tufts University Medical Center), & James K. Luiselli (May
Institute)
Social Validity Assessment of Job Satisfaction, Resources, and Support Among Educational Service
Providers. JAMES K. LUISELLI (May Institute), Rachel N. S. Cavalari (State University of New York at
Binghamton), Alexis Pittenger (May Institute), Carolyn Barahona (May Institute), & Veronica Parent
(May Institute)
2:00 PM3:20 PM
904
Workshop: Staff Training and Treatment Fidelity: Development of a Trainer of Trainer Model within
Public Schools. JESSICA L. ROHRER & SHAUNESSY M. EGAN (CCSN: Center for Independence)
Abstract: Working with individuals with complex learning profiles can present a challenge for even
seasoned educators. Since consistency in demands, expectations, and consequences is a key factor in
effective programming, it is crucial that all staff be trained in reliable implementation of teaching
procedures. As technology improves and makes its way into the classroom, new ways of providing
efficient training become available. Videomodeling is one method that has been used to capture best
practice teaching procedures and train others on their implementation. This visual modality provides
staff with concrete models of running programs, as well as affording the opportunity to start and stop
the training to deliver clarification or additional training feedback. Videomodeling can also be used to
help ensure fidelity in implementation. Combining videomodeling with a trainer of trainer model allows
for a comprehensive training model. This workshop will explore the use of videomodeling as well as
provide opportunities to discuss current barriers and enablers to staff training in public school settings.
2:00 PM4:50 PM
917
Workshop: Functional Analysis and Treatment of Severe Destructive Behavior. WAYNE FISHER
(University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute)
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Abstract: Functional analysis (FA) is an individualized assessment designed to evaluate a person's
problem behavior in relation to environmental events that may affect the future probability of that
behavior. Functional analysis is designed to identify (a) the environmental contexts in which problem
behavior is likely and unlikely to occur; (b) the consequences that reinforce problem in those contexts;
and (c) specific interventions that are likely to effectively reduce the individual's problem behavior. In
this workshop, I will show how FA methods have (a) increased our understanding of how environmental
antecedents and consequences affect problem behavior in children with autism; (b) facilitated the
development of novel and effective treatments, and (c) produced simpler and more efficient
interventions for problem behavior. Finally, I will also show how descriptive data can be used to develop
alternative functional analyses for idiosyncratic functions of problem behavior displayed by individuals
with autism.
2:00 PM4:50 PM
Hadley
Room (1001,
10th floor)
Workshop: Video Modeling: An Introduction to Creating and Using this Intervention Approach in your
Practice. ANGELA R. MANN (University of North Florida), SARAH FEFER (University of Massachusetts –
Amherst), & CAROLYN KUEHNEL (Integrated Center for Child Development)
Abstract: Video modeling (VM) has a significant evidence-base to support its use in instructing children
with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in the areas of social and adaptive skills (Bellini & Akullian,
2007). Attendees at this workshop will learn methods to create and use VM in their practice to address a
variety of presenting concerns. Recent research about enhancing the effectiveness of this intervention
will also be reviewed. Presenters will then share three case studies that represent novel applications in
the use of VM. These include: (1.) the use of VM to promote generalization of feeding skills being taught
in a clinical setting, (2.) the use of an online VM intervention to teach social communication skills to
groups of adolescents with high-functioning Autism, and (3.) a VM intervention using self and teacher
models delivered by classroom teachers to address inappropriate sexual behaviors in a 17-year-old girl
diagnosed with and Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. This workshop will end with a
discussion about future directions and novel applications of VM.
2:30 PM3:20 PM
CCA
Invited Address: The Role of Motivation in Teaching Language and Social Skills to Children with Autism.
VINCENT J. CARBONE (Carbone Clinic)
Abstract: Michael (1993) refined the concept of the establishing operation (Keller & Schoenfeld, 1950) to
include the conditioned establishing operations (CEOs). The publication of Michael's paper along with
15
the terminological refinement to the motivating operation (MO) 10 years later has led to a substantial
increase in research on the topic related to the treatment of persons with autism. This line of productive
research has demonstrated the important role of the conditioned motivating operation (CMO) when
teaching verbal behavior and social skills to children with autism in applied settings. The purpose of this
presentation is to briefly review the relevant literature on this topic and discuss clinical applications with
children with autism. Video demonstrations in educational and clinical settings will be presented in
support of the discussion.
2:30 PM3:20 PM
163
Invited Address: Research in Stimulus Overselectivity: Populations and Interventions. WILLIAM V. DUBE
(University of Massachusetts Medical School - Shriver Center)
Abstract: Stimulus overselectivity refers to maladaptive narrow attending that is a common learning
problem in intellectual disabilities. Evidence for overselectivity is found in atypical restrictions in the
number of stimuli or stimulus features that exert stimulus control in discrimination learning.
Overselectivity is often associated with autism, perhaps in part because it was first identified by Lovaas
and colleagues in children with autism, and perhaps in part because it seems consistent with DSM
characteristics of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. I will present the results of a study that compared
overselectivity in individuals with autism, Down syndrome, and developmentally matched typically
developing children. Stimuli for the assessment included photos of faces, three-letter printed words,
geometric color/form compounds, unfamiliar black forms, and Meyer-Johnson Picture Communication
Symbols. The results indicated that overselectivity was not more severe in individuals with autism when
(a) developmental level was controlled, (b) pretests verified discrimination of all experimental stimuli,
and (c) data analysis procedures distinguished between overselective stimulus control and general
failure of stimulus control. I will also present the results of studies using differential observing response
techniques to ameliorate overselectivity in discrete-trials tasks, and discuss techniques to teach students
with intellectual disabilities to make differential observing responses.
2:30 PM3:20 PM
162
Invited Address: New Initiatives in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. TIMOTHY R. VOLLMER
(University of Florida)
Abstract: This invited presentation is given by the current editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior
Analysis (JABA). Now that JABA has partnered with Wiley-Blackwell publishers and ScholarOne on-line
submissions, the electronic age has opened the doors for the journal to test several new initiatives.
These initiatives include but are not limited to: a) video abstracts, b) video methods, c) implications for
16
practice companion pieces, d) podcasts, e) audio slides, f) virtual issues, among others. The presenter
will describe these new initiatives and discuss how they will be tested. In most cases the journal will test
one initiative per issue. In some cases, samples are already available and these will be demonstrated
during the address.
2:30 PM3:50 PM
168
Symposium: Using Stimulus Equivalence Instruction to Teach Academic Content and Verbal Behavior
Repertoires to Advanced Learners
Chair: KENNETH F. REEVE (Caldwell University)
Session Abstract: In this symposium, stimulus equivalence instruction was used to teach equivalence
classes to advanced learners (college and graduate students). In the first study, a procedure with a
"clicker technology" was used to establish biology-based equivalence classes in a classroom setting with
community-college students. The second study evaluated the use of equivalence-based instruction to
teach four, 4-member classes representing functions of behavior to undergraduate and graduate college
students. In the third presentation, the stimulus equivalence paradigm was used to establish relations
among the name, photograph, professional affiliation, and research interest of six prominent behavior
analysts with graduate student participants in a Master of Arts applied behavior analysis program. The
purpose of the last study was to assess a behavioral analogue for the emergence of untrained tacts,
mands, and listener behavior via the formation of classes of equivalent stimuli with two typically
developing adults. Collectively, these studies provide instructional protocols that may be used to
effectively teach classes of stimuli important for advanced academic and to establish analogues of verbal
behavior repertoires.
Using Clicker Training in a College Classroom to Teach to Teach Equivalence Classes of Biology-based
Stimuli. ANTONIOS VARELAS (Hostos Community College, City University of New York) & Lanny Fields
(Queens College, City University of New York)
Teaching Advanced Learners About Functions of Behavior Using Stimulus Equivalence-Based Instruction.
LEIF ALBRIGHT, Lauren Schnell, Kenneth F. Reeve, & Tina M. Sidener (Caldwell University)
Teaching Graduate Students About Prominent Behavior Analysts Using Stimulus Equivalence-Based
Instruction. JESSICA DAY-WATKINS, Denise Kerth, Kenneth F. Reeve, & Carol McPheters (Caldwell
University)
17
A Stimulus Equivalence Analysis of Emergent Tact, Mands, and Listening Behavior.
CHRISTINA BOYD-PICKARD (Simmons College), Jacqueline Adams ( RCS Learning Center), & Russell W.
Maguire (Simmons College)
2:30 PM3:50 PM
165
Symposium: Treating Severe Problem Behavior Using Synthesized Analyses and Treatments
Chair: RICHARD B. GRAFF (New England Center for Children)
Session Abstract: The majority of published studies on treating severe problem behavior attempt to
identify the reinforcers maintaining problem behavior with a functional analysis (using multiple test
conditions, as described in Iwata's original 1982 publication), followed by the implementation of a
function-based treatment. An alternative to this approach involves the use of synthesized analyses and
treatments (Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, & Hanratty, 2014). In this approach, an open-ended interview
informs the development of a 2-condition functional analysis, in which multiple contingencies are
synthesized into one control condition and one test condition. Following the functional analysis, a multistep treatment process is begun; this process begins with functional communication training (FCT). Once
the functional communication response (FCR) is well engrained in the participant's repertoire, the
complexity, flexibility, and interactional nature of the FCR is increased. Next, delay/denial tolerance is
taught. Then, progressively longer chains of adult-directed (expected) behavior are required to access
the functional reinforcer. In this symposium, four case studies will presented that will demonstrate the
utility of this approach.
Teaching Signs to Build a Complex Communication Repertoire and Tolerance Responses to Reduce Selfinjury and Aggression. DELNA BHARUCHA , Christina Livingston, & Stacie Bancroft (New England Center
for Children)
Assessment and Treatment of Severe Aggression: Application of Hanley's Synthesized Protocol. JULIE
STINE, Catia Cividini-Motta, & Maureen Kelly (New England Center for Children)
Synthesized Analysis and Treatment of Multiply-controlled Problem Behavior. ELIZABETH NORTHROP,
Kerri Brown, Stacie Bancroft, Kelly Gallagher, & Paige Marquis (New England Center for Children)
18
Synthesized Functional Analysis and Treatment of Precursor Behavior. NICOLE GOLDBERG, Quinn
Gosselin, Carrie Lawton, & Sorrel Ryan (New England Center for Children)
2:30 PM3:50 PM
174
Symposium: Incorporating Experimental Treatment Analyses within Functional Behavioral Assessments.
Chair: MARK W. STEEGE (The Margaret Murphy Center for Children and The University of Southern
Maine)
Discussant: WILLIAM H. AHEARN (New England Center for Children)
Session Abstract: School-based Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) typically yield hypotheses
regarding the variables that occasion, evoke and maintain problem behaviors and function-based
treatment recommendations (Steege and Watson, 2009). The results of the FBA are then used to
develop behavior supports plans that are implemented by staff, teachers, family members, etc. within
school and homes settings. This symposium describes three studies in which a treatment analysis phase
was included within the FBA process. Each of the studies, conducted in a school program serving
students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), included a blend of behavior analytic interviews,
descriptive assessments, and experimental analyses to determine the function(s) of problem behavior
followed by a treatment analysis phase in which the recommended treatments were systematically
evaluated using single case experimental designs. This symposium extends previous research and
practice by going beyond the typical FBA that essentially describes the functions of the problem
behavior to an analysis of the efficacy of recommended treatments. The presenters will discuss the
social implications of their findings, as well as weaknesses and future directions of their research.
Fading Edibles and Conditioning Social Reinforcement. AMY CONSTANTINE (The Margaret Murphy
Center for Children), Mark W. Steege (The Margaret Murphy Center for Children and The University of
Southern Maine), & Michael Scheib (The University of Southern Maine)
Functional Analysis of Ear Plugging and Treatment Analysis of Noise Dampening Headphones. ERIN
BEARDSLEY (The Margaret Murphy Center for Children), Mark W. Steege (The Margaret Murphy Center
for Children and The University of Southern Maine), Michael Scheib (The University of Southern Maine),
& Hannah Batley (The University of Southern Maine)
Functional Analysis and Treatment of Disruptive Behaviors During Fire Drills. AMY CONSTANTINE (The
Margaret Murphy Center for Children), Mark W. Steege (The Margaret Murphy Center for Children and
19
The University of Southern Maine), & Melissa Bubier (The Margaret Murphy Center for Children)
2:30 PM3:50 PM
804
Symposium: Overcoming Barriers to Consultation: Strategies for Success in Public Schools
Chair: RAVIT R. STEIN (EASTCONN Regional Educational Service Center)
Discussant: MARCIE W. HANDLER (May Institute, Inc.)
Session Abstract: BCBAs have an expertise that can be extremely valuable for supporting students in
public schools. Competence and fluency in data collection, analysis, and development/implementation
of data-driven interventions is critical to students accessing their learning. Still, despite efforts to utilize
the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) in public schools to support students, a variety of
barriers to consultation may thwart problem identification, analysis of data, and implementation of
interventions. This symposium will reflect upon 3 areas of behavioral consultation (i.e., problem
identification, problem analysis/plan development, and plan implementation) where BCBAs working in
public schools may encounter challenges, and present evidence-based strategies for overcoming these
barriers to support success in public school settings. A case study depicting the utilization of behavioral
consultation in a public school setting will highlight specific strategies and future implications for BCBAs
supporting students and teams in schools.
Effective Problem Identification in Public School Settings: Asking the Right Questions. RAVIT R. STEIN
(EASTCONN Regional Educational Service Center)
Function, Feasibility, and Fidelity: Developing School-Based Behavior Intervention Plans that Work.
JENNIFER GALLUCCI (EASTCONN Regional Education Service Center) & Lisa M. Hagermoser Sanetti
(University of Connecticut)
Behavioral Consultation in a Public High School: A Case Study. ROSE JAFFERY (EASTCONN Regional
Education Service Center)
3:30 PM4:20 PM
163
Invited Address: The Role of Play in ABA Programs: Analysis, Assessment, and Intervention. MARK L.
SUNDBERG (Behavior Analysis Center for Autism)
20
Abstract: The reinforcement contingencies involved in play can contribute to many elements of human
development, such as visual perceptual skills, fine and gross motor abilities, language development,
imitation, problem solving, and social behavior. However, some children, especially those with autism,
do not engage in play activities in a manner commensurate with their typically developing peers, or their
play activities are too excessive and may disrupt the development of other important skills. For these
children, a specific intervention program may be necessary to develop functional and age-appropriate
play skills. Behavioral approaches to autism treatment are often criticized for failing to adequately
incorporate play into intervention strategies. While this may be true for some older forms of ABA
programs, it does not reflect the approaches of more current ABA programs. This presentation will
provide a behavioral analysis of what constitutes independent and social play, along with ways to assess
and teach play skills, as well as how to use play to teach other important behaviors.
3:30 PM4:20 PM
162
Invited Address: How Behavior Analysis Became the Singular Progressive, Cumulative, and
Comprehensive Science of Behavior. SAM LEIGLAND (Gonzaga University)
Abstract: The historical development of psychology gave rise to a number of distinctive scientific
variations, including behaviorism, with its own distinctive variations. One of the latter variations, the
experimental analysis of behavior, developed in a way that was unlike any of the other fields of
psychological science. This paper examines the relationship between behavior analysis and general
experimental psychology and compares the nature and types of progress that may be seen in each field.
Examples will be drawn from certain research areas of experimental psychology, with an emphasis upon
cognitive psychology, and a number of research areas within the field of behavior analysis. Differences in
the types of scientific progress achieved will be examined in the context of the respective scientific
systems involved with each field. The case will be made that only behavior analysis entails a scientific
system that enables the same type of cumulative and useful scientific progress seen in fields such as
physics, chemistry, and biology. Challenges facing the further development of behavior analysis as a
scientific field will also be examined.
3:30 PM4:50 PM
Workshop: Behavioral Intervention in "Low Tech" Settings: Practical Strategies and Do-able Designs.
JOSEPH N. RICCIARDI (Seven Hills Clinical Associates)
Abstract: Intervention for challenging behaviors is no longer confined to highly technical, applied
settings with advanced training and continuous clinical supervision. Instead, behavioral technology is
21
being pushed further and further out into low tech and "real world" settings: integrated schools, homes,
foster-care, and low-intensity group homes. This workshop is designed for clinicians and support staff
who support staff working with individuals with challenging behaviors outside of applied settings. The
presenter will review general principles of effective behavioral intervention for purpose of summary, and
later share examples of application. The presenter will review several "pitfalls" to avoid in disseminating
behavioral intervention in low tech settings. The presenter will summarize a model evidence-based
practice relevant to behavioral intervention as a standard of practice, even in these settings. The
workshop will include examples of variations on common interventions applicable in non-applied
settings, the use of a contextualized approach, ecological modifications, and multi-component
intervention design and dissemination.
4:00 PM4:20 PM
Special Paper Presentation: Politics as Operant Behavior: How and Why Behavior Analysts Can Influence
Policy. John W. Scibak (Massachusetts House of Representatives)
Abstract: Despite a long history and widespread use with a variety of target behaviors, behavior analysts
have yet to recognize politics as a viable area for research and practice. Candidates spend tremendous
sums each year trying to influence the behavior of individual voters, yet never analyze why their specific
strategies worked or not. Similarly, advocates expend countless hours and efforts in trying to affect
decision making in elected officials, with little attention paid to whether their specific strategies are
effective. In both situations, there may be a number of simultaneous contingencies, macrocontingencies,
and metacontingencies which are operating. This presentation will review some of the most common
tactics to achieve political change from a behavior analytic perspective as well as provide specific
examples from recent political campaigns. Finally, the presentation will also address how behavior
analysts can become more effective advocates by relying on strategies employed in their clinical practice
and applying them with their own elected officials.
4:30 PM 4:50 PM
CCA
Student Paper Award Session
Chair: Judah Axe (Simmons College)
Teaching Observational Learning to Children Diagnosed with Autism. JACQUELYN MACDONALD
(Western New England University and the New England Center for Children)
22
Abstract: Observational learning is a critical skill needed for the acquisition of social skills as well as
learning within traditional educational settings. For the purpose of the present study, observational
learning was defined as differential responding following observation of another's behavior and
consequences. Research suggests that observational learning may be limited in children diagnosed with
an autism spectrum disorder (Varni et al., 1979). The purpose of this study was to develop an
assessment to test for observational learning across academic and leisure tasks and to teach
observational learning if deficit. Six participants diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder
participated. Following an initial assessment, a multiple probe design across task types and across
observational learning task variants demonstrated acquisition of observational learning skills across
multiple exemplars. Following training (i.e., attending, imitation, successive discrimination, conditional
discrimination in the form of monitoring consequences), all participants engaged in observational
learning across multiple stimuli and demonstrated generalization across stimuli. Inter-observer
agreement was calculated in 99% of all sessions across all participants and was at or above 95%.
Procedural integrity was calculated in 99% of all sessions across all participants and was at or above 90%.
5:00 PM6:00 PM
CCA
Sidman Award Presentation
Chair: WILLIAM H. AHEARN (New England Center for Children)
Teaching Simple Auditory Discriminations to Learners with Developmental Disorders. GINA GREEN
(Association of Professional Behavior Analysts)
Abstract: Skills that are often described as "listener behaviors," "receptive identification," and "language
comprehension" involve auditory-visual conditional discriminations. Many learners with autism and
other developmental disorders have difficulty acquiring those skills via typical teaching. One likely
reason is that auditory-visual conditional discriminations comprise successive simple discriminations
among auditory stimuli presented one at a time across trials, and simultaneous simple discriminations
among visual stimuli presented concurrently on each trial. Learners who do not have those component
simple discrimination skills are likely to find auditory-visual conditional discriminations very challenging.
Many could benefit from training designed to establish flexible auditory discrimination skills prior to
attempts to teach auditory-visual conditional discriminations. Procedures for teaching simple auditory
discriminations are described and illustrated.
23
6:00 PM7:30 PM
163
Poster Session and BABAT Social
24
FRIDAY OCTOBER 17, 2014
Time
9:00 AM9:50 AM
Tentative
Room
CCA
Title and Authors
Invited Address: Establishing Clinical Standards and Building a Network to Support Ethical Decision
Making. LINDA A. LEBLANC (Trumpet Behavioral Health)
Abstract: Large human service agencies provide amazing opportunities for organizational analysis and
implementation of standard process, procedures, and cultural change interventions. This presentation
will describe the process for developing clinical standards in several critical domains including client
relationships and protections, assessment, data collection, and supervision. The domain of ethics will be
explored extensively as a example of an analysis of the contingencies impacting behavior in
organizations. The Ethics Network will be described as an infrastructure designed to promote effective
ethical problem solving as a means to prevention and early intervention of ethical concerns. In every
domain, the key to success is comprehensive systems analysis and development of tools to reduce
response effort for behaving effective effectively.
9:00 AM10:20 AM
804
APBA Professional Development Series WORKSHOP— OBM Tips for New and Experienced Managers and
Practitioners. NICHOLAS L. WEATHERLY (Aubrey Daniels International)
Abstract: The success of our work as behavior analysts lies on our ability to deliver sound treatment while
working within the parameters of our work environment. Each work environment offers unique clinical,
managerial, and ethical challenges and many of these challenges can make or break the efficacy of your
services. As a practitioner, you might need others to collect data, implement your treatment plan, or help
you deliver services. As a practitioner who has been promoted to a role as supervisor or manager, your
scope of practice has now shifted from clinical services to managing employee performance. The purpose
of this workshop is to provide new and experienced managers and practitioners helpful tips that can help
enhance their continued education related to the application of behavior analysis to areas of
performance management.
9:00 AM10:20 AM
905
Workshop: Treatment Integrity in Behavior Analytic Service Organizations: Considerations and Strategies
for Translating Research to Practice. LAURA B. TURNER (University of Saint Joseph), JENNIFER SILBER
(May Center School for Brain Injury and Related Disorders), GARY PACE (May Center School for Brain
25
Injury and Related Disorders), AMY BARANEK (May Center School for Brain Injury and Related Disorders),
& JENNIFER DERDERIAN (May Center School for Brain Injury and Related Disorders)
Abstract: There is a gap between treatment integrity research and the implementation of treatment
integrity practices in clinical service settings. This workshop will review current conceptual models and
assessment methods as well as discuss considerations for the design, implementation and promotion of
treatment integrity systems in service organizations. Particular attention will be paid to comprehensive
residential and educational settings that serve individuals with behavioral challenges and multicomponent behavioral interventions. The presenters will help participants brainstorm practical and
functional systems to ensure that behavioral interventions are implemented as written within their own
service settings.
9:00 AM11:50 AM
9:00 AM11:50 AM
Hadley
Room 1001
(10th floor)
917
Workshop: The ABCs of Behavior Analysis: A Review of the Basics for Students and Teachers. A CHARLES
CATANIA (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
Abstract: In reviewing the selection of behavior by its consequences, we will examine the rationales
behind important behavioral language practices. Why is it good to specify what is reinforced by what in
arranging or interpreting reinforcement contingencies? Should we distinguish between positive and
negative reinforcement? Why is it important to emphasize attending when we analyze stimulus control?
What are the advantages of treating behavior in terms of multiple causation? We will identify and
address misrepresentations of behavior analytic concepts and practices, as when some mistakenly
suggest that ignoring is the most effective treatment for reducing unwelcome behavior, or falsely equate
reinforcement with bribery, or misleadingly argue that reinforcement has hidden costs. Along the way we
will consider benefits and pitfalls of translations between technical and colloquial vocabularies, as well as
practices that tempt us to attribute behavior to weakly defined or unmeasured entities such as feelings
or emotions. We will also consider extensions of basic concepts and terminology to applications,
particularly as they may be reflected in the content of certification exams.
Workshop: The VB-MAPP: Conducting the Assessment and Identifying Intervention Priorities. MARK L.
SUNDBERG (Behavior Analysis Center for Autism)
Abstract: This workshop will focus on how to use behavior analysis and the VB-MAPP to assess a child's
language, learning, and social skills, as well as potential barriers that may be impeding skill acquisition.
Participants will also learn how to use the results of the assessment to determine an individual child's
26
immediate and long-term intervention priorities. For example, a child may be able to repeat words when
they are spoken, but not independently use those words to name or ask for things. Or, a child may have a
sizeable list of vocabulary words, but rarely engage in conversations. The VB-MAPP can identify these
problems, compare them to typical language acquisition patterns, and chart a path for an ABA-based
language, learning, and social skills intervention program.
9:00 AM11:50 AM
904
Workshop: How To Create Free and Customizable Electronic Data Collection Systems - No Advanced
Computer Skills Necessary. PAUL HEERING, EILEEN PORRO, & LINDSAY FALLON
(May Institute)
Abstract: There are many options for services, apps, and websites for electronic data collection. Many of
these solutions either have hefty price tags or limited options for customization. This workshop will
demonstrate how to use a free online solution to create customizable electronic data collections systems
that allow for online data entry or data entry using handheld devices. Workshop attendees will be walked
through every step to create these systems. This will include registering for a free google docs account,
setting up data sheets, data entry options, viewing online spreadsheets containing results, setting up
automatically updating graphs, sharing information, receiving automatic notifications when data sheets
are completed, and more. These systems can be used by a family collecting data on only one child, by a
consultant gathering information about multiple students, or even larger organizations. No advanced
computer skills are required, anyone who can navigate a website or send emails will be able to complete
this workshop For example, if you registered for this conference online you have already demonstrated
the needed skills to be successful at this workshop. Due to the hands on nature of this workshop,
attendees are strongly encouraged to bring a laptop to the workshop.
10:00 AM10:50 AM
CCA
Invited Address: Using Stimulus Pairing Procedures to Induce New Vocalizations. ANNA I.
PETURSDOTTIR (Texas Christian University)
Abstract: It has long been hypothesized that the early cooing and babbling of infants may be shaped into
their native-language speech sounds via auditory feedback from their own voices, as is the case for
songbirds and species-typical birdsong. In behavioral terms, this means that vocalizations that resemble
speech sounds regularly heard in the infants' environment function as reinforcers for vocalizing.
Clinicians and researchers have translated this hypothesis into a stimulus-stimulus pairing intervention
intended to increase novel vocalizations of nonverbal children with autism and other developmental
27
disabilities. However, the literature to date has produced inconsistent data. In this presentation, I will
discuss strengths and limitations of the existing literature on stimulus-stimulus pairing, and use data from
my lab to illustrate alternative procedures intended to establish speech sounds as conditioned
reinforcers.
10:00 AM10:50 AM
163
10:00 AM10:50 AM
162
10:00 AM11:20 AM
168
Invited Address: On Atomic Repertoires and Generalized Operants. DAVID C. PALMER (Smith College)
Abstract: When the explicit training of a class of responses of one topography leads to the emission of
one or more response classes of different topography, we speak of generalized operants. The empirical
demonstration of such generalized classes is taken as evidence that the concept can be included in the
conceptual toolkit of the behavior analyst without further analysis, and it has sometimes been assumed
that the concept can be used to explain other examples of emergent behavior. I will argue that this
conclusion is unjustified, that the concept of generalized operants is incoherent and serves no
explanatory function. I will suggest that atomic repertoires can explain the relevant behavior
economically, with no need to invent new explanatory terms.
Invited Address: "Replacing" problem behavior: Is it a rule? JIM JOHNSTON (Auburn University)
Abstract: Textbooks often suggest that interventions designed to decrease a problem behavior should
routinely be accompanied by efforts to increase the frequency of an appropriate behavior, often called a
"replacement behavior." This address considers possible rationales for this tactic, as well as reasons why
a general rule is inappropriate.
Symposium: Advances in Teaching and Treating Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Chair: Judah Axe (Simmons College)
Session Abstract: Three papers will review important new research related to increasing skill acquisition
and reducing problem behavior in individuals with ASD and developmental disabilities. The first two
papers focus on skill acquisition. In Study 1, joint attention skills were successfully taught to children
with autism; generalization of these skills was demonstrated. Study 2 involved the teaching,
generalization, and maintenance of receptive labeling skills. Study 3 reviews the assessment and
treatment of a very challenging topographies of problem behavior, selective mutism.
28
Establishing a Generalized Repertoire of Initiating Joint Attending with Children with Autism. SANDRA R.
GOMES (Caldwell University), Sharon Reeve (Caldwell University), Kevin J. Brothers (Somerset Hills
Learning Institute), Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell University), & Tina M. Sidener (Caldwell University)
Generalization and Maintenance of Receptive Object Labels Following Trial-and-Error and Errorless
Learning. JACLYN KALITA and Deidre Fitzgerald (University of Saint Joseph)
Nonlinear Functional Analysis and Systemic Treatment of Selective Mutism. NICOLE E. BOIVIN, Philip N.
Chase, Judah B. Axe, Jonathan W. Kimball, and Ronald F. Allen (Simmons College)
10:00 AM11:20 AM
165
Symposium: Teaching Equivalence Classes to Young Learners with Autism and of Typical Development
Chair: RUSSELL W. MAGUIRE (Simmons College)
Session Abstract: In this symposium, stimulus equivalence-based instruction was used to teach
equivalence classes to young learners of both typical development and with autism. In the first
presentation, equivalence classes were established for typical third grade science concepts of carnivore,
herbivore, and omnivore, first with a single participant, and then an entire class of typical third grade
students via computerized instruction. In the second presentation, computer-based instruction was used
to teach typical third graders equivalence classes consisting of representations of multiplication
problems, including the product, pictorial representation, and addition-problem equivalent. In the third
presentation, teens diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders learned stimulus classes consisting of
different food items and their locations in a grocery store using conditional discrimination training. In the
last presentation, young children diagnosed with autism learned stimulus equivalence classes consisting
of stimuli associated with the emotions happy, sad, and scared. Collectively, these studies provide
instructional protocols that may be used to effectively teach classes of stimuli important for academic,
social, and life skill competencies to young learners who are typically developing or on the autism
spectrum.
Stimulus Equivalence with Applied Third Grade Science: Class Expansion. EMILY LEONARD & R.W.
Maguire (Simmons College)
29
Using Stimulus Equivalence-Based Instruction to Teach Multiplication Concepts to Elementary School
Learners. CASI M. HEALEY, Kenneth F. Reeve, Sharon A. Reeve, & Ruth M. Debar (Caldwell University)
Using conditional discrimination training to form equivalence classes between grocery items and their
locations. STACY HANSEN (RCS, Inc.), Colleen Yorlet (RCS, Inc.), & R.W. Maguire (Simmons College)
Equivalence class formation of contextual emotion identification by children with autism. MATTHEW R.
COLLIGAN (Caldwell University), Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell University), Dawn B. Townsend (Institute for
Educational Achievement), & Sharon A. Reeve (Caldwell University)
10:00 AM11:20 AM
Amherst
Room (10th
floor)
Symposium: Using synthesized contingency analyses to develop meaningful solutions for severe
problem behavior.
Chair: RICHARD B. GRAFF (New England Center for Children)
Session Abstract: An alternative to what some people refer to as the "standard" functional analysis is the
synthesized contingency analysis/treatment (Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, & Hanratty, 2014). In this approach,
an open-ended interview informs the development of a 2-condition functional analysis, in which multiple
contingencies are synthesized into one control condition and one test condition. Following the functional
analysis, a multi-step treatment process is begun; this process begins with functional communication
training (FCT). Once the functional communication response (FCR) is well engrained in the participant's
repertoire, the complexity, flexibility, and interactional nature of the FCR is increased. Next, delay/denial
tolerance is taught. Then, progressively longer chains of adult-directed (expected) behavior are required
to access the functional reinforcer. In this symposium, four case studies will presented that will
demonstrate the utility of this approach.
Treatment of Problem Behavior Using Functional Communication Training and Denial/ Delay Tolerance
Training with Extinction. CHRISTINE A. GATES, Jonathan P. Seaver, Kyle Slavik, Stefanie Upshaw, & Jason
Keeler (New England Center for Children)
Treatment of disruptive behavior maintained by access to manipulating items in the environment.
ASHLEY PALMERI & Sorrel Ryan (New England Center for Children)
30
Safe and Effective Assessment and Treatment of Severe Problem Behavior Maintained by Access to
Tangibles. COURTNEY NARTKER, Heather Morrison, Kim Marchetti, Aimee Kidder, & Berglind
Sveinbjornsdottir (New England Center for Children)
Conducting synthesized contingency analyses: Lessons from moving too quickly through treatment
components. JENNIFER MORISON, Cormac MacManus, Stacie Bancroft, & Daniel Sheridan ( New
England Center for Children)
10:00 AM11:20 AM
174
Symposium: It Takes Two: Comparing Multiple Assessments or Interventions.
Chair: JESSICA SLATON (Nashoba Learning Group)
Discussant: LIZ MARTINEAU (Nashoba Learning Group)
Session Abstract: Selecting the "best" intervention or assessment method can be difficult with the
myriad of possibilities available under the wide umbrella of behavior analytic tactics. Interventions can
vary in their effectiveness, ease of implementation, and how quickly they produce results. It is not
necessarily enough to change behavior in the desired direction; it is also important to know whether a
faster and more substantial change is produced with another intervention. We examined these practical
concerns in the areas of assessing problem behavior, teaching vocational skills, and teaching vocabulary.
For assessing problem behavior, we compared functional analysis data to descriptive assessment data
and the FAST. Results show low interrater reliability for the FAST and descriptive assessments as well as
low predictive validity for both methods compared to functional analysis. For teaching vocational skills
and vocabulary, we used multielement or multiple baseline designs to assess two possible interventions.
IOA collected across 38% or more of sessions ranged from 80% to 100%. Results show in each case that
one method was superior to the other in terms of sessions to criteria and/or amount of change
produced. Implications of selecting a single intervention vs. taking the time to compare multiple
interventions will be discussed.
Comparing Results from Functional Analysis, Descriptive Assessment, and the FAST. Eileen Sauer,
Jessica Slaton, Kate Raftery, & LIZ MARTINEAU (Nashoba Learning Group)
Increasing Rate of Performance in Vocational Tasks. Jessica Slaton & KATHRYN MARSHALL ( Nashoba
Learning Group)
31
Comparing Two Methods for Teaching Receptive & Expressive Vocabulary. JESSICA SLATON (Nashoba
Learning Group)
10:30 AM11:50 AM
804
Workshop: Implications of the Massachusetts Licensing Law on Practice. WILLIAM H. AHEARN, The
New England Center for Children
Abstract: Governor Patrick signed the Behavior Analyst licensing law in January 2013. After, regulations
were in a drafting process via a Behavior Analyst Task Force that was commissioned by the Board of
Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions. Guidance from staff at the Division of Professional
Licensure, various governmental agencies and public input were involved and the regulations are being
implemented. Applications will be accepted October 8, 2014. This workshop is intended to provide
information about the licensing law, the licensing regulations, and the disciplinary process that will be in
place for Licensed Applied Behavior Analysts in Massachusetts. The workshop will begin with a question
and answer forum discussing the logistics of the licensing process. A presentation will follow in which
some of the implications of the licensing law and regulations for behavior analysts in Massachusetts will
be described. An open forum for discussion will follow this to allow attendees to ask questions and to
express any concerns they may have about licensing.
10:30 AM11:50 AM
905
Workshop: Clinical risk assessment and management of children and adolescents with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. JOSEPH N. RICCIARDI & ALLISON WEISS (Seven Hills Clinical Associates)
Abstract: Youth with intellectual and developmental disorders can present with a variety of clinical risks.
The range of clinical risks include behavioral topographies and mental health presentations (such as
statements of suicidal intent and verbalized threats to harm others, for instance) that place the individual
at risk of harm to self and others. In many cases, the behavior analyst may be considered clinically
responsible for the treatment planning of these individuals, and for ensuring that risk factors are
assessed and safety measures are in place. This workshop will teach participants an approach to risk
assessment and management for this population, with special caveats for how to identify areas of risk
outside of the behavior analyst's scope of practice, and what to do to manage the risk.
32
11:00 AM11:50 AM
CCA
Invited Address: Evolution of Research on Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder:
Implications for Behavior Analysts. TRISTRAM SMITH (University of Rochester Medical Center)
Abstract: The extraordinary success of behavior analytic interventions for individuals with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) has fueled the rapid growth of behavior analysis as a profession. One reason for
this success is that for many years behavior analysts were virtually alone in conducting programmatic
ASD intervention research. However, that era has ended. Many investigators from other disciplines are
now carrying out large-scale intervention studies and beginning to report successes of their own. The
increasing number and range of studies has the potential to improve services for individuals with ASD,
and it challenges behavior analysts to intensify their research efforts.
11:00 AM11:50 AM
163
Invited Address: Why the Radical Behaviorist Conception of Private Behavioral Events is Interesting,
Relevant, and Important. JAY MOORE (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Abstract: For radical behaviorists, private behavioral events are stimulus and response events that are
within an organism's skin and inaccessible to others. The two categories of private behavioral events are
(a) verbal reports about internal feelings and sensations, or (b) covert operant behavior. These events
influence either the subsequent verbal or nonverbal behavior of the organism at either the overt or
private level. Nevertheless, the events are part of the behavioral dimension: They have no special
properties, obey no special laws, and accomplish nothing that observable behavior could not. This
conception differs from the methodological behaviorism found in mentalistic traditional psychology. It
also differs from the appeal to mentalistic explanatory fictions in Afolk psychology." Overall, the
conception of private behavioral events allows radical behaviorism to promote a complete, naturalistic
science of behavior.
11:00 AM11:50 AM
162
Invited Address: The Scientific Image and Behavior Analysis. MICKEY KEENAN (University of Ulster)
Abstract: Carefully constructed images have a long tradition in the teaching of science generally. In this
presentation I show examples of such images as a backdrop to examining what we do in teaching our
science. In short, I lament the attention given to the scientific image in our discipline. When others
misrepresent behavior analysis I think it is time to reconsider the images/SDs that we offer our students.
A dot on graph is wonderful shorthand for summarizing an observation but it is a terrible indictment on
our creativity if that is the only image we can muster to excite students about what we do.
33
11:30 AM1:00 PM
Student
Union
Ballroom
(2nd floor)
and Marriott
Room (11th
floor)
LUNCH
1:00 PM1:50 PM
CCA
Invited Address: Thumb Sucking: A Love Story. PATRICK C. FRIMAN (Boys Town Center for Behavioral
Health)
Abstract: Thumb sucking is an ideal behavior for behavior analytic study yet one that has been largely
overlooked by behavior analysts. Not by me however. I saw its opportunities early in my career and have
been exploiting them ever since. Here are some of its many virtues. It is easy to find-universal in infancy
and still common after age 6. It is easy to observe and measure. It is very responsive to a broad array of
easily applied contingencies (e.g., incentives, aversives). It frequently co-occurs with other functionally
related behaviors (e.g., object attachment, hair pulling) that are also easy to observe and measure and
are also responsive to a broad array of easily applied contingencies. It is socially significant (chronic
practice after age four can lead to serious dental, medical and social problems). It lends itself readily to
theorizing (e.g., cross cultural, psychodynamic, developmental, behavior analytic). Pertinent to this last
point, it has been the subject of some of the most outrageously wrongheaded theorizing in all of child
psychology-which is of particular interest to me because most of it is so easy to disprove (and lampoon).
Lastly and by no means leastly, it helped me gain entry into the world of primary care pediatrics. This talk
will discuss all of this and more.
1:00 PM3:50 PM
804
Workshop: APBA Professional Development Series WORKSHOP— Handling Everyday Ethical Dilemmas.
GINA GREEN (Association of Professional Behavior Analysts)
Abstract: Whether they work in clinical, administrative, academic, or research settings, behavior analysts
frequently face situations that invoke ethical problems. Solving such problems typically requires the
34
behavior analyst to weigh a number of factors within the framework of relevant professional ethical
standards. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board's Guidelines for Responsible Conduct for Behavior
Analysts and Professional Disciplinary and Ethical Standards set out ethical principles and standards that
are specific to behavior analysts. Those principles and standards are discussed, and participants are given
written descriptions of ethical dilemmas to analyze with reference to the BACB conduct guidelines and
disciplinary standards. Participants will also have opportunities to discuss ethical dilemmas they have
encountered.
NOTE: Participants must bring copies of the BACB Guidelines for Responsible Conduct and Professional
Disciplinary and Ethical Standards with them to the workshop.
1:00 PM3:50 PM
917
Workshop: How to Get Your Research Published in Behavioral Journals. TIMOTHY R. VOLLMER & KARA
WUNDERLICH (University of Florida)
Abstract: The presenter has published over 100 peer reviewed papers in behavioral journals. He
currently serves as editor in chief for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and has served on editorial
boards for over a half dozen other behavioral journals. In this workshop he will provide some suggestions
to increase the likelihood that your research will be reviewed in a favorable light. The general strategy
involves highlighting the potential contributions of your work while minimizing distractions produced by
errors, omissions, and inconsistencies. The presenter will take the participants through the process from
generating a research question to preparing a manuscript to submission and finally responding to editors
and reviewers. In addition, the current JABA editorial assistant, Kara Wunderlich, will join the workshop
to provide helpful hints on common problems to avoid as a manuscript is prepared for publication.
Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop computer to practice some of the exercises.
1:00 PM3:50 PM
904
Workshop: Teaching Social Skills That Change Lives: Developing Meaningful Relationships for People
Diagnosed with Autism. JUSTIN B. LEAF, RONALD B LEAF, MITCHELL TAUBMAN, & JOHN MCEACHIN
(Autism Partnership Foundation)
Abstract: Children with autism and other autism spectrum disorders (ASD) typically have qualitative
impairments in social interaction. Such impairments can range from a child's inability to develop
appropriate peer relationships to a lack of enjoyment and interest in others, which can lead to a lower
quality of life. Therefore, clinicians must teach social skills to children and adolescents diagnosed with
ASD; however, it may be difficult for clinicians to find appropriate social curricula and effective ways to
teach children with ASD social skills. The presenters will discuss the importance of teaching social skills;
35
why social skills may be overlooked as part of a comprehensive curriculum; ways to select a
comprehensive curriculum; what this comprehensive curriculum consists of; two teaching procedures
(i.e., teaching interactions and cool versus not cool) that have been found to be effective in teaching
social skills; the research behind these procedures; and ways clinicians can implement the intervention in
the home, school, and community. The procedures and curriculum that will be discussed will mainly
focus on high functioning children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD but can be applied to children
and adolescents of different cognitive functioning levels or diagnoses.
1:00 PM3:50 PM
Hadley
Room 1001
(10th Floor)
Workshop: Navigating the Tenth Circle of Hell-(Or Getting Funded for Health Insurance Coverage of
ABA). TIM COURTNEY (Little Star Center), MARY ROSSWURM (Little Star Center), VINCE LAMARCA (Little
Star Center), & MICHELE TRIVEDI (The Arc of Indiana Insurance Project)
Abstract: In the Middle Ages, Italian writer Dante wrote about the nine circles of Hell in his epic poem,
Dante's Inferno. Perhaps, though, if Dante were alive today, his work would have included a tenth circle health insurance. This workshop will help clinicians learn how to write successful treatment plans that
support medical necessity for health insurance funded individuals with autism. As more states adopt
insurance mandates for autism, behavior analysts are supporting more clients whose services are being
paid for by health insurance. To be successful with this new stream of funding, behavior analysts have to
learn about how to navigate the medical insurance system. Topics covered in this workshop include
credentialing, in-network vs out-of-network plans, self-funded vs fully-funded plans, how to write a
treatment plan that supports medical necessity and an introduction to the appeal process. Once
mastered, clinicians can focus on the more enjoyable circles of Hell, such as treachery, heresy and wrath.
2:00 PM2:50 PM
CCA
Invited Address: Where Do You Find the Real S-R Analysis of Behavior? JULIE S. VARGAS (B. F. Skinner
Foundation)
Abstract: B. F. Skinner is often misclassified as an S-R (Stimulus-Response) psychologist. This talk
compares the science Skinner began with psychology, showing their differing analyses of where the
causes of behavior lie. Examples of the two kinds of explanations reveal that it is not Skinner's analysis
that is S-R, but psychology's. The differences in underlying sciences have profound Implications for
engineering practices, as struggles over credentialing and licensing have shown.
2:00 PM-
163
Invited Address: Promoting Meaningful Days for Adults with Severe Disabilities: Continuing Challenges
36
2:50 PM
and Recommended Strategies. DENNIS H. REID (Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center)
Abstract: This presentation will describe continuing challenges and evidence-based recommendations
for providing functional day supports for adults with autism and other severe disabilities. The focus will
be on how the field has and has not advanced in providing adults with productive day activities along
with teaching necessary skills to function independently. Following a description of professional
consensus regarding what constitutes meaningful day activities, data will be summarized that reflect how
adult participation in meaningful versus nonfunctional day activities has varied over the last 25 years.
Means of embedding teaching strategies into common activities in which adults are usually supported
but not taught will likewise be presented to show how instructional services can be maximized on a
routine basis.
2:00 PM2:50 PM
162
Invited Address: Blending Behavioral Science and Technology: Putting the "Learning" in "eLearning".
NICHOLAS L. WEATHERLY (Aubrey Daniels International)
Abstract: The exponential advancements in computer technologies have created a vast market for
computer-based instructional programs. User-friendly personal computers and the social media boom
have helped create a culture where people are rarely without some form of computer-based technology,
showing reinforcement potential that is scaled to an extraordinary level. Companies and universities are
now working to utilize these exciting new computer technologies to meet their training needs, with
discussions on topics such internet-based training, eLearning, virtual education, and gamification gaining
widespread attention. But how are the advancements in the science of behavior being integrated in the
evolution of these programs? Although the field of behavior analysis has been building and evaluating
instructional technologies for decades, modern computer-based training systems can overlook key
behavior analytic components that can drastically hinder the impact of these training programs. The
purpose of this talk is to discuss the importance of embedding our understanding of behavioral principles
into our computer-based instructional systems to better serve our clients and maximize performance
potential.
2:30 PM3:50 PM
165
Symposium: Practical advances in Functional Communication Training.
Chair: CHATA A. DICKSON ( New England Center for Children)
37
Session Abstract: These three studies examine practical enhancements to functional communication
training (FCT). Delisle and Thomason-Sassi discuss the use of multiple schedules as a strategy for leaning
the schedule of differential reinforcement for appropriate speech in a young man with an autism
spectrum disorder. Next, Ghaemmaghami, Hanley, and Jessel compare two strategies for increasing
tolerance of delay to reinforcement following FCT. Finally, Pagano and Dickson examine effects on
resurgence of a variant of FCT whereby multiple mands were reinforced.
Use of multiple schedules with reinforcement thinning to treat perseverative behavior. DEWEY DELISLE
& Jessica L. Thomason-Sassi (New England Center for Children)
A comparative analysis of time-based versus contingency-based strategies for teaching delay tolerance.
MAHSHID GHAEMMAGHAMI, Gregory P. Hanley, & Joshua Jessel (Western New England University)
Does teaching multiple mands during FCT influence resurgence of a target response? JACOB PAGANO &
Chata A. Dickson (New England Center for Children)
2:30 PM3:50 PM
Amherst
Room (10th
Floor)
Symposium: Analyzing Complex Human Behavior: Private Events, Latent Behavior, and Derived Relations.
Chair: JUDAH B. AXE (Simmons College)
Session Abstract: Behavior analysts are fortunate to swiftly explain most of human behavior using the
elegant principles of behavior analysis; however, much of human behavior is extremely difficult to
explain. In particular, behavior analysts have not reached consensus on how to explain behaviors and
stimuli accessible to only the behaver; that is, behaviors and stimuli that occur within the behaver's skin.
Can events taking place within the skin serve as independent variables evoking or maintaining one's
behavior? Can we talk about private events without inventing constructs akin to "the mind?" Can we
quantify and measure private behaviors and private stimuli? Can we define and analyze "latent behavior"
and such an analysis in behavior analysis? Finally, what is the current state of research in complex
analyses of verbal behavior and where should that research go? These are the questions that four
prominent authors on the topics of radical behaviorism and complex analyses in verbal behavior will
address in this symposium.
A Functional Interpretation of Mental Talk. J. MOORE (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
38
How Can We Quantify Private Events in Behavioral Research? MARK L. SUNDBERG (Behavior Analysis
Center for Autism)
The Concept of Latent Responses in the Interpretation of Complex Behavior. DAVID C. PALMER (Smith
College)
The Larger Contemporary Science of Verbal Behavior. SAM LEIGLAND (Gonzaga University)
2:30 PM3:50 PM
174
Symposium: Identifying Critical Skills and Developing Effective Interventions for Them
Chair and Discussant: WILLIAM H. AHEARN (New England Center for Children)
Session Abstract: Applied Behavior Analysis for treating autism has produced many skill assessments and
effective interventions for teaching skills that are absent in the behavioral repertoires of the persons
receiving treatment. Accumulating research suggests that there are specific skill repertoires that are
predictors of those who benefit most from treatment. This symposium will explore the predictors of
optimal outcome from early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) and some examinations of
procedures for targeting critical skills. The first talk will be delivered by Diana Parry-Cruwys and she will
discuss a study evaluating predictors of outcome relative to EIBI. The second study will be delivered by
Catia Cividini-Motta and she will discuss a comparison of teaching procedures for establishing the
imitation of the vocalizations of others (i.e., echoics). The third study will be presented by Jackie
MacDonald and she will discuss a study that assesses the presence of observational learning and
procedures for establishing it when it is absent. The chair and discussant will be Bill Ahearn.
Evaluating Predictors of Outcome for Children with Autism Receiving Early Intensive Behavioral
Intervention. DIANA PARRY-CRUWYS, Rebecca MacDonald, Sally Dupere, & William H. Ahearn (New
England Center for Children)
Teaching Observational Learning to Children with Autism. JACQUELYN MACDONALD & William H. Ahearn
(New England Center for Children)
A Systematic Comparison of Commonly Used Echoic Teaching Procedures. CATIA CIVIDINI-MOTTA,
Nicole Scharrer, & William H. Ahearn (New England Center for Children)
39
2:30 PM3:50 PM
168
Symposium: Recent Research on Preference and Reinforcement.
Chair: RICHARD B. GRAFF (New England Center for Children)
Session Abstract: In this symposium, four papers will review recent research on preference and
reinforcement. The first two papers focus on improving the efficiency preference assessments. One
paper demonstrates that if preferences for categories of items can be identified, additional reinforcers
can be identified without conducting additional preference assessments. The second paper
demonstrated that when using a video-based preference assessment, reinforcers can be identified
without providing access to the selected items. The third and fourth papers demonstrate unique
manipulations of reinforcement schedules to increase manding and improve on-task behavior in
individuals with autism.
Categories of Preference and their Reinforcing Efficacy. CHRISTINA E. LIVINGSTON, Melissa Clark,
Shannon Ward, Kathryn Seyfarth, & Richard B. Graff (New England Center of Children)
Evaluation of Video-Based Preference Assessments without Access. DANIEL R. CLARK (University of
Maryland, Baltimore County), Jeanne M. Donaldson (Texas Tech University), & SungWoo Kahng
(University of Missouri)
Manipulation of Reinforcement Schedules, Discriminative Stimuli, and Motivating Operations in
Producing Mands in Multioperant Environments. JONATHAN P. SEAVER & Jason Bourret (New England
Center for Children)
Effects of peer-mediated momentary differential reinforcement of other behavior on the on-task
behavior of children with autism. ERIN MCLOUGHLIN, Judah B. Axe, Ronald F. Allen (Simmons College)
2:30 PM3:50 PM
905
Panel Discussion: Special Considerations in Behavioral Feeding Programs
Chair: MELISSA L. OLIVE (Applied Behavioral Strategies LLC)
Panelists: CHAYNA COUTURE (Meloria Academy), STEPHANIE REINOSO (Creative Interventions), & ABIGAIL
HOTL (Applied Behavioral Strategies LLC)
40
Session Abstract: Children with and without disabilities may encounter feeding difficulties. This
difficulties can include but are not limited to food selectivity by texture, color, and manner of
presentation. Feeding difficulties may also include rigidity related to the feeder and/or meal time
location. This session will provide a discussion of the issues related to the provision of behavioral feeding
services to children with and without disabilities. The first speaker will identify some of the barriers to
behavioral feeding programs. She will then identify strategies for reducing the response effort for
parents. The second speaker will discuss the importance of individualizing the assessment and
intervention process. For example, various medical assessments may be needed prior to the onset of
services. Additionally, parents and children have distinct preferences that should be considered when
selecting intervention components. Finally, planning and ensuring generalization and maintenance of
feeding skills is critical. Thus, the third speaker will identify strategies that have been used successfully to
promote both maintenance and generalization. The discussant will summarize the issues and facilitate
question and answers from participants.
3:00 PM3:50 PM
CCA
3:00 PM3:50 PM
163
Invited Address: Narrative -Why It's Important; How it Works. PHILIP N. HINELINE (Temple University)
Abstract: Narrative permeates not only mystery stories and other novels: it is salient in newspaper and
magazine discussions of social problems; it is part of the standard formula for political speeches and for
soliciting money for worthy causes; and, of course, story-telling occupies much of ordinary conversation.
Nevertheless, behavior analysts have had little to say about narrative, perhaps because its salient
characteristics are mainly structural, whereas behavior analysis addresses mainly the functions of verbal
behavior. In addition, the role of the individual listener's behavior is crucial, and behavior analysts have
tended to homogenize the listener's role as that of "audience" or "verbal community." Despite these
limitations, behavior analysis has delineated a few phenomena that appear to be relevant: joint attention
and the discriminations and functions involved in imitation, equivalence classes and relational frames are
a few. In addition, a key principle that sustains the engagement of reader or listener involves establishing
conditions and reinforcement contingencies that are operative on multiple, overlapping time scales
Invited Address: Conducting functional analyses and functional communication training with children
with autism via telehealth directly into family's homes. DAVID P. WACKER (The University of Iowa)
Abstract: In this talk, I provide the results of a 4 year project funded by the Maternal and Child Health.
41
The purpose of the project is to provide functional analyses and functional communication training via
telehealth directly to the families in their homes. Each family has a young child (6 years old or younger)
diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder who displays problem behaviors such as self-injury or
aggression. The families work remotely with an applied behavior analysts on a weekly basis who coaches
them to conduct functional analyses of the problem behavior and then to implement functional
communication training. All procedures take at least 6 months to complete. During this time, the families
never meet the applied behavior analyst, and receive no training in vivo in their homes or in clinic. We
are currently entering the 4th year of the project and to date over 30 families have enrolled in the
project. The average decrease in problem behavior is over 80% (from extinction baselines conducted just
after the functional analyses and just before functional communication training), and only 2 children's
problem behavior has increased. The potential advantages and disadvantages of this approach to
treatment will then be summarized.
4:00 PM4:50 PM
CCA
Invited Address: Stimulus and consequent refinements of Functional Communication Training. WAYNE
W. FISHER (University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute)
Abstract: One function-based approach to the treatment of destructive behavior with considerable
empirical support is functional communication training (FCT). Although FCT has been shown to be highly
effective when implemented in controlled environments by well-trained therapists, treatment relapse
often occurs when a caregiver is unable to accurately carry out the procedures in the natural
environment. For example, a caregiver of a child with severe aggression may be unable to deliver the
functional reinforcer (e.g., attention) when the child emits the functional communication response (FCR)
because the caregiver is attending to a sick sibling. During this time when the FCR is exposed to
extinction, the child's aggression often increases, a form of relapse called "resurgence". Behavioral
momentum theory (BMT) provides a quantitative method for making stimulus- and consequence- control
refinements to FCT that can function as behavioral inoculation so that treatment relapse in the form of
resurgence of destructive behavior is greatly mitigated or prevented altogether. Interestingly, some
predictions of BMT are somewhat counter intuitive and in direct opposition to clinical procedures
recommended as 'best practices" by prominent clinical researchers. In this presentation, I will discuss
these refinements of FCT along with illustrative data sets and potential directions for future research.