|
Treatment for Improving Socialization and Academics in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Recent Research on Pivotal Response Treatment |
| Sunday, January 20, 2019 |
| 8:10 AM–9:00 AM |
| Grand Ballroom A-C |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Lynn Koegel, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Justin B. Leaf (Autism Partnership Foundation) |
| LYNN KOEGEL (Stanford University School of Medicine) |
 Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel is a clinical professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism, including the development of first words, grammatical structures, pragmatics, and social conversation. In addition to her published books and articles in the area of communication and language development, she has developed and published procedures and field manuals in the area of self-management and functional analysis that are used in school districts and by parents throughout the United States, as well as translated in other major languages. Dr. Lynn Koegel is the author of Overcoming Autism and Growing Up on the Spectrum with parent Claire LaZebnik, published by Viking/Penguin and available in most bookstores. Lynn Koegel and her husband, Robert, are the developers of Pivotal Response Treatment, which focuses on motivation. The Koegels have been the recipients of many awards, including the first annual Children’s Television Workshop Sesame Street Award for “Brightening the Lives of Children”, the first annual Autism Speaks award for “Science and Research” and the International ABA award for “enduring programmatic contributions in behavior analysis.” In addition, Dr. Lynn Koegel appeared on ABC’s hit show “Supernanny” working with a child with autism. Their work has also been showcased on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and the Discovery Channel. The Koegels are the recipients of many state, federal, and private foundation gifts and grants for developing interventions and helping families with autism spectrum disorder. |
| Abstract: This presentation will describe intervention procedures for improving socialization and academic engagement in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Video clips will be presented to demonstrate the procedures. Advances regarding Pivotal Response Treatment, including implementing the motivational components with a variety of behaviors and across the lifespan will be discussed. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) describe the core motivational procedures of PRT, how motivation can be objectively measured, and how to measure Fidelity of Implementation (FoI); (2) describe how the motivational procedures of PRT can be applied across the age span, including with social conversation and socialization in adults and with pre-linguistic infants; (3) describe how PRT can be used during academic activities to improve academic engagement and decrease challenging behavior. |
|
| |
| |
|
| Learning to Thrive: Enhancing Outcomes in Applied Behavior Analysis Settings With Acceptance Commitment Training |
| Sunday, January 20, 2019 |
| 9:10 AM–10:00 AM |
| Grand Ballroom A-C |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| CE Instructor: Evelyn Gould, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Julia Ferguson (Autism Partnership Foundation) |
| EVELYN GOULD (McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School; FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.) |
 Evelyn Gould, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, is a Clinical Behavior Analyst and Research Associate at the Child and Adolescent OCD Institute (OCDI-Jr) at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. The OCDI-Jr program provides residential level of care for children and adolescents struggling with treatment refractory OCD and related disorders. The program emphasizes evidence-based behavioral interventions, including ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Dr. Gould currently works under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Coyne, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, researcher, and world-expert in ACT and the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders. Dr. Gould also continues to collaborate with FirstSteps for Kids, providing clinical consultation, mentorship, and training to staff. Dr. Gould has extensive experience working with children and adolescents with ASD (and their families) across settings, and has fulfilled a variety of clinical, training, and research roles in the USA, UK, and N. Ireland over the years. Dr. Gould remains passionate about the provision of high-quality clinical services for children, adolescents, and their families, and the dissemination of Behavior Analysis. Dr. Gould is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, and an Editorial Board Member for Behavior Analysis in Practice. Dr. Gould is actively involved in a number of Special Interest Groups (SIGs), including the ABAI ACT SIG, the ACBS Children and Families SIG, and the Women in ACBS SIG. |
| Abstract: Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is part of a growing body of literature on "third-wave” behavioral therapies. Derived from Behavior Analysis, ACT seeks to increase adaptive, flexible responding by reducing the influence of problematic private events (including rule-deriving and rule-following). Empirical support for ACT-based interventions across a broad range of settings and populations continues to grow, however, research examining the application of ACT within ABA settings is still in its infancy. This talk presents ACT as a treatment model that holds promise for practitioners working with families of children with autism in ABA settings. Relevant theoretical and empirical literature supporting this promise will be reviewed and key components of ACT outlined. Adaptations for parents, children and adolescents, and staff will be presented. Finally, the potential benefits of combining traditional ABA strategies with ACT will discussed, in addition to implications for the development and dissemination of ACT-based treatments within the field of ABA. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) define ACT as a behavior analytic treatment approach; (2) describe the potential benefits of integrating ACT into ABA treatment settings; (3) identify at least one ACT-based intervention that might be utilized by ABA practitioners to facilitate desired behavior change in parents, children or in-line staff. |
|
| |
| |
|
The Parents' Perspective: How to Get Parents to Buy In |
| Sunday, January 20, 2019 |
| 10:30 AM–11:20 AM |
| Grand Ballroom A-C |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| CE Instructor: Jonathan J. Tarbox, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Jonathan J. Tarbox (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
| SHANNON PENROD (Autism Live) |
 Shannon Penrod was an award winning comedienne and writer when her son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 ½. Terrified, overwhelmed, and unsure what to do next, Shannon set out on a mission to help her son. With luck, fortitude, and a lot of help, Shannon found a quality ABA program and was able to access funding to give her son intensive treatment. The result was nothing short of amazing. Her son, now 15, attends a college prep high school and is an active member of his school’s competitive robotics team. In her quest to help other parents access what she was fortunate enough to have, Shannon Penrod hosts the popular web show Autism Live, which features free information and inspiration for the global autism community. Shannon holds an MFA from The National Theatre Conservatory. Her award-winning one-woman show The Autism Mamalogues debuted at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2018 and has upcoming performance dates throughout the U.S. |
| Abstract: What are the biggest stumbling blocks to getting parents to participate in and embrace an intensive behavioral intervention? Oddly enough, it can be as simple as understanding the parent perspective. Shannon Penrod is a mom of a child diagnosed with autism at 2 ½ years old; fortunately, he started an intensive, quality ABA program at the age of 3. His success has made Shannon a true believer in the power of ABA in treating autism. Now Shannon shares the often hilarious, sometimes tragic mindset of the autism parent. Can you get these overwhelmed, under-slept parents to understand and participate in their child’s intervention? Yes! And when you do they will often become your biggest cheerleaders. Shannon will give you the parent 411 so you can decode their behavior, arrive at the function, and begin to implement effective behavior intervention plans that parents can buy into. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) identify common issues that prevent parents from engaging in their child’s behavioral interventions and develop techniques to overcome them; (2) implement strategies to build rapport with parents; (3) create clear communication strategies that convey big picture concepts of an intensive ABA program with meaningful consequences for parents; (4) understand that a parent’s behavior/attitude is not always indicative of the wonderful being done. |
|
| |
| |
|
The Impact of Changing Social Systems on Behavioral Practice: Overcoming Barriers to Providing Socially Valid Behavioral Interventions |
| Sunday, January 20, 2019 |
| 11:30 AM–12:20 PM |
| Grand Ballroom A-C |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| CE Instructor: Traci Cihon, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Christine Milne (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College) |
| TRACI CIHON (University of North Texas) |
 Traci M. Cihon, PhD, BCBA-D is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at The University of North Texas (UNT). She teaches graduate level courses in Behavior Principles; Verbal Behavior; and Legal, Ethical and Professional Issues. She oversees the Teaching Science Lab, which is a system that designs, delivers, and evaluates the undergraduate Introduction to Behavior Analysis courses and she co-supervises the Cultural Selection Lab. Dr. Cihon has worked in several clinical and academic systems including public and private sectors in both school and home settings in and outside of the US with a variety of individuals with disabilities, children who are at-risk for school failure, and university students. Her scholarship focuses on verbal behavior, international and interdisciplinary dissemination of behavior analysis, behavior analysis as applied to social issues – namely education, and cultural selection and has published in a number of peer-reviewed journals both within and outside of the field of behavior analysis. Dr. Cihon serves on the editorial boards for several major disciplinary and non-disciplinary peer-reviewed journals such as The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, the American Annals of the Deaf, Perspectives on Behavior Science, and she is an Associate Editor for Behavior and Social Issues. |
| Abstract: The rise in popularity (for good reason of course) of interventions based on behavior analytic principles for individuals with autism has changed the contingencies for those who provide the behavioral interventions for individuals with autism. Specifically, a number of systems-level practices and/or regulations have been established or have evolved by a variety of governing organizations (e.g., the licensing boards and certifying organizations, university-based training programs in behavior analysis and related disciplines) and social systems (e.g., economic, education, health care). Many of these practices and/or regulations have been established or have evolved due to the need to process increasing numbers of clients who are being served or increasing numbers of those providing/coordinating the service provision. These practices and/or regulations might serve several functions – from strengthening to evocative to selective. For example, they set the occasion for individual behaviors to be reinforced (or not) or punished, they restrict the repertoire of potential responses that are likely to be emitted, and they condition or perhaps make different classes of reinforcers more available. Each of us – practitioner, scientist-practitioner, student, researcher, professor – should be engaging in the complex contingency analyses that elucidate how these practices and/or regulations affect our behaviors with respect to our contributions to our science, our discipline, our research, our practice, and most importantly to the education and training of behavior analysts in order to ensure that we are engaging in a scientific approach to socially valid behavior change. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) list some of the practices and/or regulations that have been established or have evolved by a variety of governing organizations and social systems that have changed the contingencies for those who provide the behavioral interventions for individuals with autism; (2) describe the effects these practices and/or regulations may have on our behaviors with respect to our contributions to our science, our discipline, our research, our practice, and on the education and training of behavior analysts; (3) state at least one way in which they might adjust their research, practice, and/or education and training of behavior analysts repertoire to ensure that we are engaging in a scientific approach to socially valid behavior change. |
|
| |