Association for Behavior Analysis International

This poster presentation will describe an approach to establishing children's better study habits by increasing the number of targeted behaviors, more specifically home study behaviors, in the setting of Japanese private tutoring schools. The goal is to form children's voluntary behaviors by the application of the science of human behavior. The proposed approach has several steps: children and their tutors discuss and set a goal of how they are performing on the upcoming regular examination; each of the children then records and measures their home study behaviors every day; and their tutors positively reinforce the students for the achievements by giving each a token. Their mothers are also involved in the process and in advance of their home study, control their children using an action checklist. The key point here is to increase the rate of the pinpointed behaviors occurring by providing positive reinforcers (R+), rather than negative reinforcers (R-), including tokens and point cards. The practice and practical examples shown here are included in a book published by this presenter in Japan.

Hispanic children are diagnosed with autism at a disproportionately low rate even though total rates are rising (Dyches, Wilder, Sudweeks, Obiakore, & Algozzine, 2004). Reasons for this diagnostic disparity are unclear. However, it is hypothesized that a parental knowledge gap preventing access to services may be caused by cultural and personal factors such as acculturation (Daley, 2004), socioeconomic status (Thomas et al., 2007), social support (Zhang & Bennet, 2003), fatalistic beliefs (Dyches et al., 2004), religious importance (Mandell & Novak, 2005), and parenting experience. A five-section survey measuring autism knowledge and these target variables was administered to 64 Hispanic clients ranging from 18-65 years old. The respondents were primarily parents (86%) and female (84%). Data analysis was conducted with correlations, t-tests, and multiple regression statistics set at a 95% confidence level. Results showed socioeconomic status greatly affects knowledge of autism, with other factors playing some role. These findings support autism professionals specifically targeting low-income families for autism information activities in order to reduce disparity in autism diagnosis and increase treatment utilization in minority groups. Furthermore, consideration for cultural values in service delivery is recommended.

George Mason University's applied behavior analysis training programs include an undergraduate minor in Applied Behavior Analysis and a graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. The former is geared toward those earning or who have bachelor's degrees and who wish to become Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts. The latter is suited for those who are earning graduate degrees or who already have one, who wish to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst or Board Certified Behavior Analyst (doctoral). Coursework, internship options, faculty, and other features of this program are discussed.

In 2010, the Youth Development Clinic (YDC) was approached by Wyckoff Family YMCA to provide consultation for their summer camp for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This camp had been developed several years earlier by concerned families seeking recreational summer activities for children in the area. The goal of the Wyckoff YMCA was to improve the quality and breadth of skill building and recreational activities available to the campers. To meet this goal, YDC staff incorporated aspects of the Neurons to Neighborhoods (N2N) model into the existing camp structure. N2N, which was developed as a public school classroom model, employs applied behavior analysis as its core but incorporates aspects of Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related Handicapped Children (TEACCH), incidental learning, and the Picture Exchange Communication System. The camp would be the first time that N2N has been implemented in a non-educational setting. The camp provided activities for 22 children with ASD ages 6-12. At the end of the camp, YDC collected questionnaires from counselors, parents, and administrators to determine their satisfaction with services provided. The data showed high levels of satisfaction with the camp and YDC's consultation services. More importantly, it showed that the N2N model is adaptable to non-educational, recreational setting.

As the number of students with autism in the public schools increase, so is the concern about their academic achievement outcomes. Research has established a correlation between academic task engagement and better outcomes for students with autism (Iovannone, Dunlap, & Kincaid, 2003). Consequently, increased engagement is one of the goals recommended by the Commission of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (CBASSE, 2001) for students with autism. Even though a number of researchers (Carnahan et al., 2009; Massey & Wheeler, 2000) have documented the effectiveness of various intervention strategies for students with autism, throughout the literature academic engagement has been described differently by different authors. Many of these definitions are more descriptive than definitive. However, it is crucial that practitioners recognize these descriptions as well as the various strategies used to increase academic engagement of students with autism. The purpose of this poster is to present answers to two basic questions: (a) how has academic engagement been defined in the literature relating to students with autism and (b) what intervention strategies have been used to promote engagement of students with autism?

Treatment implementation is an under-studied and under-reported aspect of intervention studies involving individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One primary area of concern is the lack of reliable and valid implementation measures, which allows a conclusive association to be drawn between the intervention and participant outcomes. This study examined the psychometric properties of two implementation measures developed for comprehensive treatment models serving preschoolers with ASD (that is, Learning Experiences-An Alternative Program for Preschoolers and Parents [LEAP] and Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication elated Handicapped Children [TEACCH]). Both of the measures were completed in classrooms using LEAP or TEACCH instructional approaches as well as in classrooms in which a business-as-usual or non-model specific treatment approach was used. Across4 months of one school year, a maximum of 4 observations were conducted in each of the 34 classrooms involved in the study. Results indicated that both implementation tools are reliable and valid, and that particular subscales of these measures allowed for discrimination of the three types of classrooms from each other. This step of psychometrically validating implementation measures as part of conducting efficacy studies may yield more robust associations between implementation and intervention effects.

The present study investigates the importance of consistent implementation of a positive behavior support (PBS) plan across people, and the feasibility of quickly training classroom staff to correctly implement a PBS plan. The target student maintained high rates of aggressive and property destructive behaviors, despite consistent implementation of the PBS plan by his one-on-one applied behavior analysis (ABA) aide. It was hypothesized that these behaviors did not decrease due to the classroom staff providing reinforcement for the aggressive and property destructive behaviors. The classroom staff was provided with 5 hours of training by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst that focused on how to correctly utilize priming, choice making, visual supports, token economies, differential reinforcement, functional communication training, extinction, and redirection; all of which were either not used or used inconsistently/inappropriately at baseline. Results indicate that the trained one-on-one ABA aide could not significantly reduce high frequency aggressive and property destructive behaviors when the classroom staff did not consistently follow the PBS plan; however, given appropriate training, the classroom staff was able to quickly acquire the skills necessary to correctly implement the PBS plan, resulting in a significant reduction in the frequency of aggression and property destruction in the target student.

Providing evidence-based behavioral services for children with autism can be challenging in rural areas where there is a shortage of trained professionals. The goal of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of conducting behavioral treatment using telehealth to reach young children with autism spectrum disorders living in underserved areas. Prior research has demonstrated that parents can be successfully trained in their homes to conduct functional analyses (FA) and functional communication training (FCT) to reduce the disruptive behavior of young children with autism and other developmental disabilities. This study implements a service delivery model in which telehealth is being used by behavior specialists to "coach" staff and parents at regional health centers across a rural state. We are evaluating whether FA/FCT conducted through telehealth coaching is effective in reducing disruptive behavior and increasing positive social behaviors in young children with autism spectrum disorders. This poster will provide information on the procedures used in this study as well as outcome data on reduction in problem behavior and treatment acceptability for all participants who have completed treatment at the time of the conference (estimate 15 participants).

As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases drastically, the inclusion of these children in the regular education classroom has become a major education concern. Despite the important role of teachers in facilitating inclusion practices, few studies had examined their attitudes toward students with autism in the classroom. Therefore a survey was conducted to examine teacher attitudes towards students with autism. A total of 282 teachers of pre-kindergarten to grade 12 students from mainstream schools participated in the study. Participants read different stereotyped scenarios featuring either a student with autism or a normal student and then indicated their attitudes towards each student. Teachers reported significantly more negative attitudes towards a student with ASD than towards a typical student (t = -15.9, p = 0.00). Regression analysis demonstrated that teachers who were younger (t = - 2.5, p = .01), who were female (t = 3.88, p = 0.00) and who had special education training (t = 4.5, p = .00) were more likely to have positive attitudes towards a student with ASD. The implications of these findings, such as the urgent needs of ASD evidenced based techniques and applied behavior analysis training in the school community, are discussed.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a low-tech system that is widely used in educational and home settings. However, its treatment outcomes are highly variable among individuals. This study examined the relationships between pretreatment characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the treatment outcomes. Four participants were included in the study. Assessments of autism characteristics (ADOS), language skills (PSL-4), and performances on a Responder/Non-Responder Profile were conducted before treatment. A changing criterion design was implemented through PECS training level I through VI. Outcomes were measured in terms of picture exchange quantity (total number of independent requests), quality (total number of PECS symbols and PECS levels), and speech output (frequency of using non-imitative words and total number of new words). All participants were given the same number of training sessions (12) and the same treatment intensity (once per week). Social validity from relevant parents and teachers was recorded. All participants reached PECS level IV and beyond. High social approach behaviors and low ADOS scores were associated with better overall outcomes. High verbal stimulatory behaviors were associated with better speech output. Implications of the results for researchers and practitioners will be discussed.

There is little research currently available examining how to most effectively match individuals providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) and families seeking these services. With a growing need for ABA services and greater use of paraprofessionals to implement behavior plans, the need to examine indicators of successful working relationships, for example, are crucial. In a qualitative study conducted by Grindle and colleagues (2009), difficulties related to therapist acquisition, match, and retention were identified (e.g., recruitment, finding the "right person for the job," therapist turnover) and warrant scrutiny. In an attempt to begin identifying a useful measure and possible indicators to best or better match paraprofessionals and families, this study examines the post hoc administration of the Parental Authority Questionnaire-Revised (PAQ-R; Reitman, Rhode, Hupp, & Altobello, 2002) to 11 mothers and 10 paraprofessionals. In conjunction with PAQ-R scores, behavioral indicators and characteristics (e.g., verbal/written complaints, decreased service hours, cancellations, termination) will be examined. Both aggregate and case study data will be used to evaluate the utility of the measures.

Individuals with autism exhibit a wide variety of repetitive and ritualistic behaviors. These behaviors are often conceptualized as stereotypy. However, they are sometimes described as compulsive, and as indicative of a dual diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It is quite difficult to diagnose OCD in individuals with autism, given their inherent difficulties in self-report. In the science of applied behavior analysis intervention for autism, we have not applied the methodology of functional assessment and functional analysis (FA)to assess these behaviors as thoroughly as we have applied those methodologies to assess other types of behaviors. In this poster, we will discuss parsimonious ways to conceptualize these behaviors in ways that are conceptually systematic with the science of behavior. In addition, we will present alternative methods for assessing these behaviors in FA conditions.

To achieve the best possible outcomes as adults, students with autism must, by age 22, already possess critical life skill competencies, but little attention has been paid to creating effective individualized educational programs/individual treatment plans (IEPs/ITPs) for transitional students. Life skills checklists can include thousands of entries, so the selection of manageable IEP/ITP goals must be governed by something which maximizes both current and continued skill acquisition, generalization and maintenance. Rosales-Ruiz and Baer's behavioral cusp (1997; further developed by Bosch & Fuqua, 2001) is one such principle, and this poster will illustrate its use by staff at Coryell Autism Center for creating and implementing IEPs, ITPs and behavior plans for teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum. Emphasis will be given to goal selection based on socially significant and generative skills (i.e. behavioral cusps), determined to be necessary for a student's successful participation in both current educational programs and future academic, vocational, domestic, social, and recreational activities. The poster will also illustrate: (a) the behavior analytic principles applied throughout the process, (b) teaching methods and data collection procedures sensitive to behavioral cusps, and (c) the validity of designating, a priori, goals as behavioral cusps.

A child must successfully demonstrate a myriad of prerequisite skills to participate in a preschool classroom including staying in one's seat, activity transitions, responding to name, and taking turns. Young children with autism often have not yet acquired these necessary skills or are not able to demonstrate the skills within the preschool environment. The purpose of the SPARCLERS program is to prepare children for classroom structure and build the foundations for learning in a school environment. The program consists of two components presented concurrently: 1.5 hours of one-on-one individualized skill development using discrete trial training followed immediately by 1.5 hours of preschool structured activities (circle time, art, gross motor, snack, and cooperative games). This presentation will provide skill-specific outcome data for program participants in both the one-on-one program setting and in the preschool generalization setting. Interobserver agreement and procedural integrity data will be reported. Additionally, presenters will address issues pertaining to the development of prerequisite classroom skills in children with autism spectrum disorder, ages 2-4 years.

There is a great deal of research supporting the use of positive behavior support (PBS) practices in schools and homes; however, there is little research describing implementation in residential treatment programs, particularly those programs designed to treat adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It is crucial that these children are provided systematic interventions that work to increase overall quality of life as well as decrease problem behaviors. The main goals of this poster presentation are to (a) summarize current research on PBS practices and how it applies to residential treatment for children with ASD; (b) provide an overview of a theoretically sound residential treatment model, based on applied behavior analysis principles and practices; and (c) provide information on "how-to" prepare, collaborate, and implement a system-wide PBS program in this setting. The presentation will highlight case examples relevant to the implementation of PBS with the ASD population, as well as how data-based decision making can be utilized to guide treatment. The overall goal of this presentation will be to provide attendees with a framework for utilizing PBS in a treatment setting and provide practitioners with ideas for its application in residential, home, and community settings.

Several examples of successful behavioral interventions for pediatric feeding disorders exist. However, most of these studies have occurred in hospital or university-based settings and have used young children as their participants. Restricted food intake, limited variety of intake and the presence of inappropriate mealtime behaviors (e.g., screaming, spitting, turning away from or pushing the feeder) may be seen more frequently with individuals with intellectual disabilities than with individuals who are typically developing. The purpose of this poster is to provide a brief review of the literature on the behavioral intervention of feeding disorders and to provide a model that has been used in a school-based setting for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Three students with autism and other developmental disabilities who attend a school for individuals with developmental disabilities served as the participants. The participants initially presented with severely limited food intake and high levels of inappropriate mealtime behaviors. In cooperation with the participants' families, each individualized assessment and intervention was completed in the school setting. Following the assessment of the feeding problems, exposure and escape-extinction methods were used. The results for each of the participants included decreased inappropriate mealtime behaviors and increased in food intake.

We provided training to a 13-year-old female with autism who had a fear of blood, and a nose bleeding condition due to allergies. In addition, when she was bleeding she would continue to wipe with all available white paper or towels and there was a concern as we were anticipating her first menstrual period. We used a systematic desensitization procedure, specific training for nose bleeding, discrimination training on when menstrual pads were ready to be changed, and the use of an anatomically correct doll that would menstruate when the feet were pressed. The systematic desensitization used Disney movies for its relaxation component and pictures of injuries with blood for the hierarchy. The pictures also included presenting a white pad so bleeding could be contained and stopped. The nose bleeding training included increasing the time of the mother applying pressure on her nose as she had a problem with people touching her. For the discrimination training we used three different pads with fake blood (one ready to be changed). The treatment package was successful in teaching the targeted skills, her fear of blood decreased, she was able to treat her nosebleeds, and take care of her menstrual period.

Children with autism are unlikely to acquire vocal speech and its use without direct intervention. The present study used a multiple-probe design across behavior to examine teaching procedures to increase vocal imitation and requesting. The first phase of the study consisted of teaching a sound in vocal imitation through manual prompting, shaping and differential reinforcement. The second phase consisted of teaching a three part requesting sequence through manual prompting, incidental teaching and time delay and included producing an approximation of a target word to gain access to an item. The results of the study indicated that the procedures were effective in teaching vocal imitation and requests. These results provide evidence that suggest that language intervention for children with limited vocal repertoires should include specific procedures in vocal imitation and requesting.

Much research has been conducted on methods to successfully include people with disabilities in school, work settings, and their neighborhood. Little research, however, has been devoted to teaching people with disabilities to participate in their faith communities. The present study investigated the use of a treatment package that included shaping, reinforcement, and backward chaining to teach four children with an autism spectrum disorder to attend a Roman Catholic Mass. The shaping procedure consisted of reinforcing on-task behavior for successive increases of time spent in the church during the mass, beginning with 5-min intervals at the end of the mass. Intervals were increased contingent on success during the prior interval until the participant remained in the church for the entire mass. A changing-criterion multiple-probe design across participants was conducted. The results indicated that all participants successfully attended the full duration of a Roman Catholic Mass. Such skill acquisition may provide additional opportunities for family-based activities for children with autism spectrum disorders

Difficulty procuring accurate data confronts many clinicians who find themselves in "the trenches" when treating autism. To the surprise of some behavior analysts, in contrast to the Journal of Behavior Analysis (JABA), accurate data are anything but ubiquitous. In bold relief, many behavior analysts can be found bemoaning their latest interaction with a person seemingly incapable of completing even the simplest data sheets. When they do, the veracity is questionable. Clinicians must balance the demands on staff as well as the amount of data requested to maximize its validity. With these problems in mind, we present a case study in the development of a data collection system to replace one (ABC recording) which yielded suspect data. Our goal was to significantly enhance the probability of accurate data collection by staff. Our system was designed to meet the demands of a classroom with five students with autism (each exhibiting a range of 2-5 target responses) while accommodating the teacher and aides juggling data collection with a myriad of other duties. We trace the development and evolution of this system from its origin to current while discussing successes, pitfalls, and barriers encountered.

Thirty-five preschool-aged children with autism received early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI), averaging 34 hours per week during year 1 and 31 hours during year 2 with weekly or biweekly supervision. After 4 years of treatment and annual re-evaluations by blind evaluators, 17 of 35 children achieved average scores in IQ (Bayley/WPPSI), language (Reynell/CELF), social skills (Vineland/CBCL) and academic achievement (Woodcock-Johnson), all improvements significant with large effect sizes. The children were retested by blind evaluators using the same tests 3 and 6 years later at age 10 and 13. Results showed little deterioration of scores, although a few had experienced some decrease in social skill ratings. Thus the gains made during early childhood were for the most part maintained in the teen years.

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) continues to rise, it is becoming increasingly important to accurately assess care providers' knowledge of autism. The Autism Knowledge Survey-Revised (AKS-R) is a 20-item measure designed to assess degree of agreement with several statements regarding ASDs, including etiology, diagnosis, interventions, treatments, and outcomes. The AKS-R was administered to 697 participants, and information regarding the respondent's role (caregiver, educational personnel, medical professional, or licensed therapist) and years of experience with autism was collected. Overall scores significantly differed across type of role and years of experience. Licensed therapists scored significantly higher than caregivers, and individuals with five or more years of experience with autism scored significantly higher than those with no experience. Participant level of agreement significantly differed across roles for 80% of the questionnaire items and differed across years of experience for 30% of the items. This study not only provides normative data on care provider knowledge of ASDs, but also highlights differences in beliefs across roles and levels of experience.

We describe a computer based system of instruction based on the principles of programmed instruction used to help people with autism of all ages acquire new skills. The individual programs utilize touch screens and offer instruction in basic skills such as simple matching and identification of shapes, letters, and numbers. Instruction is also provided in counting, receptive vocabulary, spelling, math, science, among many other subjects. Each customizable program is designed to automatically respond to the individual needs of each learner and facilitate correct responding. Teachers and attending clinicians manipulated the number of trials assigned, duration of instruction, correction procedure, prompting strategy, and other variables to improve learning. Each manipulation and each response was automatically and immediately plotted on standard charts so that everyone involved with the learner could evaluate the efficacy of the program. We present screen shots, charts, and demonstrate how the variables within the system interact to facilitate learning.

We describe a comprehensive toilet training program for students of various ages diagnosed with autism and mental retardation. We dedicated an entire room to toilet training. Features of the room included a reward area (with a television, stereo, massage chairs, and a wide range of other reinforcing stimuli), instruction area (with computers and other instructional materials), and individual stalls designed for the needs of each student. Training occurred between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm daily. During this time, students were never more than 8 feet away from the toilet but were able to continue academic instruction and enjoy leisure activities. Initially, students alternated between periods on the toilet and periods off the toilet. As each student progressed, the duration off of the toilet increased. We summarize the various methods used to encourage voiding in the toilet and data collection methods. We also describe the duration of training and the methods used to transition students back to a regular classroom environment.

Thirty-three families were recruited for this study. Each had at least one child with autism who was a TRICARE beneficiary (TCB), and was receiving applied behavior analysis (ABA) services at home or in a clinical environment. The family and tutors were provided a novel Behavior Imaging technology to use in their homes free of charge. Families, ABA tutors, and ABA therapy supervisors from 5 sitescould uselive (synchronous) web-conferencingand / or an asynchronous approach that allowed them to record, annotate, tag, and share video clips of sessions via Behavior Connect, a secure online consultation and collaboration platform. Supervision was provided to designated tutors as well as family members who delivered ABA therapy when tutors were not available. Pre-study and post-study questionnaires were administered to clients and therapists in order to evaluate system utility, usage, perceived effectiveness, strengths, and limitations. Results from the national assessment indicated that remote supervision of treatment delivered in the home setting can enhance the delivery of ABA services. This data and leading use cases from one of the service agencies will be shared.

This study raises the discussion about the insertion of therapeutic monitoring in schools as an intervention that favors good results to remove disruptive behaviors present in the repertoire of the individual as those seen in pervasive developmental disorders. This paper uses the data obtained in daily sessions of one participant diagnosed with the autism spectrum, a 6-year-old child. Therefore, a baseline with duration of 2 months was performed, and her therapist wrote down all the disruptive behaviors that compete with the assigned tasks in classroom. After that, an intervention program using differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) aimed to replace these inappropriate behaviors that competed with learning in the classroom. This program consisted of redirecting behavior problems, the use of small commands with the child, and a fading of clues to continue the learning achievement of the target behavior. Arbitrary reinforcementt was used initially for a period of 3 weeks, being sequentially replaced by social reinforcement. The relevance of the discussion is perceived through the results of this analysis, and therefore no therapeutic accompanying, disruptive behaviors showed high incidence, which was not observed in the presence of this interventionist model. This demonstrates the need to insert the model in schools, but also shows the lack of professional and operational training implementation of this model in the Brazilian educational context. Therefore, questions like "What is the limit between the practice of teacher and therapist in the school?" and "How can we make this model more a attractive intervention in this environment?" will be always present in our professional environment that needs such specific interventions.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has recognized the importance of developing more collaborative partnerships between families and schools (NASP, 2002). However, in practice concerns have been raised over barriers created by unequal power distributions, especially for families of students with diverse backgrounds and with disabilities (Nietsch, Siegel, Keefe & Horn, 2008). Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can particularly be in need of close partnerships between home and school to facilitate smooth transitions and consistency. Unfortunately, in many instances, parents of children with ASD are not participating as equal members of the educational team. Giving a voice to these parents will help us to better understand the dynamics that facilitate or discourage effective school and home partnerships. The current study utilizes a qualitative design to examine (a) the perception of home/school partnerships by parents of students with ASD, (b) what factors empower parents of student with ASD in collaborating with schools, and (c) what barriers exist to the development of effective home/school partnerships for students with ASD. Data were gathered via focus groups followed by more in depth interviews with specific individuals and were analyzed using a continuous comparison approach with two researchers. Results of the study were utilized to develop surveys for parents or caregivers and school staff regarding the nature and needs of effective school partnerships. This poster will provide practical information regarding the needs of parents of student with ASD and how schools may structure the special education process to better meet those needs to facilitate effective home/school partnerships.

Home-based applied behavior analysis (ABA) services are usually overseen by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) or another appropriately credentialed provider. However, those implementing the behavioral and educational programs are direct service professionals (DSP). DSPs generally have minimal experience and/or education in working with children with autism and implementing ABA methods. As a result, the training of DSPs is a critical element in effective programming. Limited research exists on effective training programs for DSPs who provide ABA services to children with autism. The purpose of this study was to examine a training series developed to promote the competency of DSPs. The training series consisted of 12 modules. Each module had a pre and post assessment measure and included an experiential component. DSPs were provided with an opportunity to observe programs being implemented and participate in actual hands-on experience with modeling and immediate feedback. Results of this training will be discussed as well as recommendations for professionals.

The 2000 National Research Council Reports that starting at age 2 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) should receive a minimum of 25 hours per week of structured intensive early intervention. The purpose of this study was to attempt to quantify the intensity of a center-based applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment program for children diagnosed with ASD, located at a university campus. Twenty-one children diagnosed with ASD and 1 child at high risk for autism (21 boys and 1 girl) participated in the study. Therapy sessions were video recorded and coded for the following independent variables: number of discrete trial learning opportunities presented during session, therapist appropriately interacting with child, child appropriately interacting with therapist, child engaging in appropriate play by him/her self, number of correct, incorrect, and prompted responses during session, percent correct during session, and number of therapy minutes per week. The dependent variable measured was the number of target items mastered per minute of therapy. Variables were compared to determine what variables were more or less correlated. Preliminary findings suggest the highest positive correlation between the number of learning opportunities presented and number of target items mastered per minute of therapy. Data collection is ongoing.

Behaviorists and neuroscientists increasingly recognize the value of not making mistakes in learning a skill, as repeating a mistake strengthens the "neural circuit" controlling that behavior. But how to decrease mistakes when teaching a swimming stroke to a child with autism? For over 40 years, the senior author has employed graduated guidance and other basic behavioral principles in the successful teaching of swimming and water safety/enjoyment skills to several generations of members within his community, including a particular focus upon those children with autism and other disabilities. The significance of sharing this methodology lies in the fact that many teaching swimming to children with special needs do not follow principles of behavior, and are not successful, therefore often denying the child the opportunity to swim and enjoy the water safely that use of behavioral approaches might otherwise afford. The focal point of this approach is the use of graduated guidance. The instructor manually guides the limb thru the motion of the targeted skill, until as the child repeats the motion, the instructor senses that less effort is required to guide the child's limb movement, and the guidance is gradually decreased. Graduated guidance rapidly allows the child to directly experience the natural reinforcers of having done the skill correctly, by passing the inherent barriers to quick learning afforded by impairments in vision, hearing, attention, verbal/cognitive understanding, neuromuscular deficiencies, and even simply age appropriate lack of development. Aspects include one-on-one instruction, development of comfort with the physical presence of the swimming instructor, settings free of distracting/aversive stimuli, consistency in presentation, building upon and repeating previously learned skills, and a time-span comfortable for the child. A primary component is the liberal use of tactile and social reinforcers (hugs, touches, and verbal praises), as well as the use of verbal cues presented consistently in association with respective behaviors and thus learned concomitantly with the behavior. Graduated guidance has been used to teach several generations of children, including many with disabilities, to swim and enjoy the water safely well beyond that which was expected following the use of other non behaviorally based teaching methods.

Horner et al. (2005) present a review substantiating how single-subject research methodology can be utilized to determine whether interventions are evidence-based practices (EBPs). The current study utilized the Horner et al. research piece to (a) systematically identify a set of quality standards for the evaluation of single-case research methodology used with learners with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), (b) operationalize these standards for a number of expert evaluators, (c) investigate three additional quality indicators related to external validity (multiple studies, locations, and researchers), (d) create a protocol for evaluators, and (e) gather and analyze data from studies that meet a set of predefined criteria. Published in seven journals across 10 years, identified studies (N = 160) were subjected to an analysis across 23 EBP quality standards that revealed increasing compliance with these standards over time, yet persistent and pervasive difficulty in adequately satisfying at least five indicators integrally tied to external validity. Recommendations to researchers in autism and consumers of autism research are made.

Children of all ages may exhibit overt self-sexual exploration, which is socially appropriate in private, but not in public settings. Foot fetishes and public masturbation are more prevalent among individuals with developmental disabilities and are highly socially significant behaviors to target for behavioral change. Published researchers used punishment procedures and/or sensory extinction to decrease or eliminate occurrence of these inappropriate behaviors. There remains limited research on the implementation of developmentally appropriate parent education, discrimination training of public versus private contexts, and behavioral procedures to teach safe and private sexual behaviors. Lack of documented research may be due to the challenges involved, such as possible indirect contingencies, in-home verbal behaviors, parental attitudes and buy-in when implementing treatment protocols. In the current study we surveyed 26 parents of children with autism in the United States and 33 in South Korea on their children's sexual behaviors. We found parent's attitudes about sexuality related to various factors that may influence intervention and should be targeted during parent training.

The umbrella term "social withdrawal" (SW) encompasses a variety of behaviors (e.g., active and passive withdrawal from social situations, lack of social responsiveness, shyness, etc.) and is a poor prognosticator for social development. Although there is a great deal of research on SW behaviors in fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the literature is limited in that SW behavior is described in broad terms (e.g., shyness) and measured using indirect methods such as rating scales. We directly observed social withdrawal behaviors by introducing novel items, events, and people in "play situations" and recording expressions of fear or pleasure, approach and avoidance behavior to novel stimuli, social references to caregivers, and the frequency and duration of contact with experimental items and people. Response patterns were compared to a control group of mental age-matched typically developing boys. Boys with FXS and/or ASD differed in frequency of touching familiar and novel objects, functional toy play, eye contact, and smiles. Differences were also seen between groups in patterns of time allocation to remaining in proximity of a caregiver versus room exploration. These results suggest that there are several different functional classes of social withdrawal behaviors.

Public school special education teachers demonstrated an increase in knowledge of principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) through significant increases in scores from pretest to posttest. These teachers participated in a partnership activity between the public school system and a local university. For each of two summers, a group of 20 teachers enrolled in a 3-hour graduate-level course involving didactic instruction combined with supervised experience in application of ABA principles. The course was held on the campus of the school system's extended school year program for children with disabilities, allowing teachers immediate opportunities to practice the strategies discussed and demonstrated in class. All teachers demonstrated gains in their abilities to list and define principles of ABA such as positive and negative reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. In addition, teachers were able to write clearly about stimulus control, successive approximations, prompting, and modeling, to describe practical applications involving task analyses, and to explain steps in shaping behaviors. Teachers were also able to demonstrate the use of ABA principles in both discrete trial teaching and naturalistic teaching methodologies.

Use of standard celeration charts is not widespread among clinicians working in applied settings. The present research represents a demonstration of the potential benefits of collecting raw data on hand-drawn standard celeration charts, and the use of visual analysis of the charts by staff, managers, and supervisors. Visual analysis was used to make decisions with regard to a 15-year-old male diagnosed with autism and traumatic brain injury. Target behaviors included aggression, property destruction, elopement, and operant urination, maintained, as determined through clear differentiated responding during a functional analysis, by attention and escape from/delay of demand situations. Initial treatment phase was to place and reinforce successful completion of high-probability demands and approximations to the target response. Analysis of data showed a decrease in high-magnitude categories of aggression, but higher than baseline rates of low-magnitude aggression and increases in latency to task completion ranging up to 2 hours. In the second and final treatment phase prompting was changed to a most-to-least sequence through completion of the task. Data shows an extinction burst followed by a reduction in all problem behaviors. Other data are presented on programs trained in the home using standard celeration charting as the primary means of data collection.

The present investigation examined the effects of a parent training of applied behavior analysis (ABA) basic skills to improve appropriate behaviors of students with autism and to decrease their stereotypic behavior. A time-lagged ABA design was used. Twelve mothers of the students participated in the basic course of ABA and were encouraged to use ABA basic skills to manage their children's behaviors using a self-monitoring strategy of the mother. The training for the parent was conducted in two settings after the first baseline condition. A home was used for the first training session and the grocery store or shopping mall was used for the second training session. The results of this study revealed the following. Firstly, the program decreased the students' stereotypic behavior. Secondly, two students maintained the decreased frequency of stereotypic behavior in a nonintervention for a month. Thirdly, the students showed a slight behavior change in their interactive behavior with their family members after the intervention was withdrawn. Lastly, the parents improved the score on their self-confidence in teaching their children and decreased the level of stress in caring their children.

Working with autistic children in Brazil is not funded by governments, a fact that makes intervention in the family context financially unviable; for example, the family spends the most time with their children which makes it necessary to include the family in practice intervention. The objective is to illustrate how to teach new skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a systematic and effective form through the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). A child of 4 years and a 2-year-old, both diagnosed with autism, participated. To begin, operators chose information boosters, made an assessment of reinforcers, and organized a list of preference. The interventions occurred in 1 bedroom of the participants' residence. The dynamics of care occurred with three researchers who took turns during the intervention. One of the researchers sat in front of the participant and gave him instructions. The participant performed in 1 of 2 ways - with help or without help from the therapist. This minimized errors and facilitated learning. Each answer with help/no help was accompanied by the reinforcing consequence. We used the following instructions: establishing eye contact, nonverbal imitation gross motor, nonverbal imitation and manipulation of objects, matching and receptive language. Participants were required to remain at around 8 hits, with no help, for 3 sessions. The results show that participants' performance for some programs met the criteria established. Despite many distractions in the environment, the results enable the implementation of the programs used here, may also be made by parents through specific training.

Students with autism have maladaptive behaviors and require consistency in order to have an impact and decrease the rates of these behaviors over time. The focus of this project is on one student with autism in a separate school setting. Kia is a 13-year-old male who has behavior management plans for touching others, leaving his tasks, whispering and laughing out of context (to disrupt others). The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of treatment integrity in implementing specific behavior plans between staff in the classroom setting. The classroom will be videotaped throughout the school day and then the videos will be viewed and analyzed for occurrences of identified maladaptive behaviors and the consequence of such behaviors as to whether the "plans" are followed. We will evaluate baseline data and then train and continue to re-train staff on the behavior plans. We will assign each occurrence as either a plus for treatment integrity followed or a negative if the consequence is not correctly followed. We will then analyze the impact of treatment integrity on maladaptive behaviors.

The current study investigated the use of a differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) procedure in decreasing vocal stereotypy for four children with autism. A multiple-baseline across-participants design was used. DRO was initially implemented using a fixed interval schedule which was then systematically thinned and converted to a variable interval schedule in the following manner. The initial DRO interval duration was determined by taking the median inter-response time during baseline for each participant. Intervals were increased by 1/3 of the current interval duration contingent on the participant successfully completing three consecutive intervals without engaging in vocal stereotypy. Intervals were decreased by 1/3 of the current session's interval duration contingent on the unsuccessful completion of three consecutive intervals. When the initial interval duration achieved was 10x the original interval, the interval duration schedule was altered from a fixed interval DRO to a variable interval DRO schedule. Session duration was also systematically increased based on each student's success. The results indicated that levels of vocal stereotypy decreased for all participants under the fixed interval schedule of DRO and remained low when the variable interval schedule of DRO was implemented and session duration was increased.

There is a growing level of research investigating the benefits of contextualized intervention for children with autism. Many studies reveal that child outcomes are enhanced when interventions include parent involvement (Levy et. al, 2006). Caregivers are assuming increasing levels of responsibility for implementing behaviour programs and have demonstrated the ability to acquire skills necessary to implement intervention plans (Moes & Frea, 2000). The purpose of this study is to illustrate that when program goals are compatible with family goals caregivers will be more likely to implement programming which will result in an increased rate of learning acquisition for their child. This study will include up to ten children with autism in an effort to determine whether contextualized programming and parent training will result in children acquiring language skills at a faster rate. The average number of teaching trials the child requires to demonstrate mastery of a receptive or expressive language target across each phase will be examined. The number of targets mastered during contextualized programming will be compared to targets mastered during prescriptive parent training. It is expected that parent involvement will increase language acquisition and that contextualized programming will further increase language acquisition in comparison to prescriptive programming.

The difficulties encountered by adolescents and adults with autism in work environments clearly evidence the need to develop more effective and comprehensive supports. JobTIPS is a free, web-based intervention funded by the National Institutes of Health that augments conventional training and assimilation instruction therapy methods with virtual reality-based social networking and multimedia compensation techniques to address unique job skill deficits identified in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). JobTIPS integrates videos, voice, text content, and shared virtual worlds delivered via computer and hand-held devices to define appropriate jobs, segment employment situations into discreet actions and behaviors, explain reasons behind behavioral and social exchanges to promote theory of mind, and encourage generalization through real-time practice with a therapist in shared social virtual environments. Efficacy of this intervention will be demonstrated in a study that employs a 2 by 2 design, with one between-group factor (Group 2: experimental and control) and one within-group measure (Time 2: pre- and post-test assessment). This novel combination of technologies will help individuals more successfully navigate the complex environmental, social, and self-advocacy demands inherent within most work environments.

Since the category of autism was added as a disability to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, autism prevalence estimates have grown increasingly. In October 2009, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a statement that showed the autism prevalence had increased from 1 in 150 to 1 in 100 (2009, CDC). This growth means that it is imperative to examine the research available to determine if there are any trends that could lead to better treatment, identification and education for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Findings from this study will be presented in a poster format which will allow three presenters to discuss outcomes and implications of an autism retrospective where three journals: Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities; Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice; and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders; were coded to examine trends over a twelve year period from 1997-2009. A coding instrument, classification system, and set of coding conventions were used. Twenty-two variables were introduced, including basic identification information, research design, sample population, and target topic. Data from this study is expected to be informative for educators that provide services for students with autism.

A differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI) protocol was used along with mand training to decrease aberrant behaviors and increase functional behaviors in a child with autism. Data will be presented in an ABC design and will be discussed along with previous interventions and their possible reasons for failure. Other topics that will be considered are staff/tutor implementation issues as well as reinforcer and preference assessment issues. The intervention took place at a local early childhood developmental delay classroom. The participant was a 4-year-old child with a diagnosis of autism. The behaviors targeted for reduction were scratching and biting of the undergraduate student tutors that worked with this child on a daily basis. The behaviors targeted for increase were either vocal mands for desired reinforcers or mands using an icon exchange system to ask for desired reinforcers. This study was a single subject case study. The results should be viewed as preliminary as very little interobserver agreement was taken.

In the past, using stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) procedures to increase the frequency of vocalizations has shown robust, but temporary effects. In an ongoing study employing a stimulus-stimulus pairing with direct reinforcement strategy to establish a generalized vocal mand repertoire in children diagnosed with autism, so far there have been impressive results that suggests results contradicting what previous research has demonstrates. This paper presents follow up data in an attempt to further describe the conditions under which this procedure took place and also to attempt to identify the specific contingencies which contributed to establishing the repertoires demonstrated by participants. Also of interest are the variables responsible for the participant's retention of verbal responses over an extended period of time. The target behaviors of the participant were identified as functional vocalizations, nonsense vocalizations, instances of vocal stereotypy, and instances of physical self-stimulation. The target behaviors of the tutor were identified as the number of times in which the child's functional vocalizations were reinforced, specifying reinforcement for those vocalizations as either being the corresponding stimulus or social reinforcement, the number of times in which the child's nonsense vocalizations were reinforced. The functional vocalizations trained in the before-mentioned combined SSP and direct reinforcement strategy were accompanied by a protocol which instructed the tutor to immediately reinforce specific vocalizations with the only corresponding stimulus. In an effort to explain the successes of this ongoing research this paper will also compare and contrast a specific child's vocal repertoire before the research began to the current repertoire, and also compare the prerequisite skills exhibited by this specific child to other children in which similar procedures have been unsuccessful.

The research shows that functional communication training (FCT) is a proven method for decreasing problem behavior and increasing task compliance. The following study is based on a previous investigation conducted by Peterson and colleagues (2009, in press). The present study formatted the procedure to meet the particular child's needs, skill set, and environmental conditions using an AB design. The child had the choice of three requests (a) mand for break using a visual "break" card, (b) mand for work using a visual "work" card, and (c) escape problem behavior. Each of these responses yielded different outcomes. If the child selected the "break" card, the child received a 45 second break with moderate reinforcement. If the child selected the "work" card, the child completed the tasks required and then received a 2 minute break with highly preferred reinforcement. If the child engaged in problem behavior, the child received a 10 second break from demands with no reinforcement. This study also incorporated increasing levels of task requirement in order to earn reinforcement when work option was selected. It was hypothesized that FCT would decrease problem behavior associated with escape from demand and that the child would begin to select the work option in order to receive the highly preferred reinforcement. The results from this intervention are not yet available.

Children diagnosed with autism often lack play skills, especially in regards to reciprocal pretend play. The behaviors they exhibit are repetitive, unimaginative, and lack social qualities. A great deal of previous research has shown that video modeling is an effective behavioral procedure used to teach children with autism a variety of skills. Specifically, video modeling has been show to produce rapid skill acquisition, increase play initiations, and increase the length of play interactions for children with autism. The purpose of the present study was to implement video modeling to teach a child with autism to engage in reciprocal pretend play with a typically developing peer. The study was conducted in a classroom at the Kalamazoo Autism Center. Videos of scripted play scenarios, ranging between 8-10 verbalizations and 4-8 actions were made for three toys sets and shown to the children. The different toy sets trained consisted of a play kitchen, a doctor set, and construction tools. Data were taken on the number of appropriate play actions, appropriate verbalizations, and reciprocal play interactions.

The purpose of this present investigation is to establish foundational skills in children with autism to prepare them for a group skills classroom. A multiple baseline design across participants is employed to measure performance. Behaviors involving independence in transitions, toileting, and center-based instruction are targeted. The dependent variable chosen is number of supplemental stimuli in the form of verbal, gestural, and physical prompts used during the completion of a transition or activity (e.g. toileting). The participants in this study have a learning history of one-on-one discrete trial training in an early childhood developmental delay classroom, which is not congruent with the instructional style of the group skills classroom. This research shows improvements in student independence across transitions and activities such as toileting defined by a reduction in the use of various prompts and prompting strategies, promoting participant independence in the classroom.

The current study looks at decreasing eye closing behavior in a student with autism using a Differential Reinforcement of Other (DRO) schedule. Eye closing was measured using a whole interval recording system with increasing time intervals from 10-s to 4-min. The reinforcement schedule incorporated a token system with differing token ratios (1-4 tokens). Results showed the percentage of intervals with eyes open during work times increased to approximately 80% of the time while seated at a desk.

A distinguishing characteristic of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders is a deficit in joint attention. Literature also notes that deficiencies in joint attention affect appropriate social and communicative skills. The present study employed an AB design, using an errorless learning procedure, with a time delay, to teach joint attention.The participant was a 3-year-old male diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Joint attention was broken down into three separate behaviors; gaze following, shifting, and initiating. For the purposes of this study, these three dependent variables are defined as follows: gaze following: the participant engaging in eye contact with the experimenter, as the experimenter turns their head and eyes toward an object within a specified distance, the participant also shifts the direction of his gaze to look at the object; looking back: after an occurrence of gaze following, the participant returning to eye contact with the experimenter; initiating: behaviors resulting in the experimenter's attention to an object that the participant indicates by pointing at, vocalizing, or pulling the experimenter towards. Other response dimensions relative to joint attention were addressed, such as duration of eye contact with the experimenter and duration of eye contact with the procedural materials.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), autism is one of the most severe developmental disabilities causing significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. Currently, autism affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys. One defining characteristic of autism is a deficit in social skills including difficulties in appropriate interaction with peers. These deficits have been linked to other detrimental outcomes including poor academic performance, peer rejection, and other maladaptive behaviors. This study combines two behavioral components, social stories and peer modeling. A multiple probe design across behaviors will be used to evaluate the effectiveness in reducing inappropriate behaviors (e.g. sitting or standing too closely to peers) and increasing appropriate behaviors (e.g. playing with peers) and functional communication reciprocation with peers. Findings are expected to show that a behavioral treatment intervention package used with an older child can help improve social skills and result in many indirect benefits including decreasing maladaptive behaviors in the classroom and in home.

The implementation of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) has been proven effective in providing children with a functional communication tool. In some instances of this implementation children have gained a vocal verbal vocabulary. In the early childhood developmentally delayed (ECDD) classroom at the WoodsEdge Learning Center, a slightly modified version of PECS is used, called the Icon Exchange. The goal for this project is to follow four children in the ECDD classroom and record the progression of their vocal verbal vocabulary as they progress through the Icon Exchange. Each of these four children entered the classroom with fewer than 10 reliably spoken words, and two of the four reliably used three to four signs. The main focus of this project is to determine whether these children acquire a vocabulary based on the icons that they have been exposed to, or if it is based on those icons and spontaneous words.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) allows persons with disabilities to communicate with others using a variety of icons corresponding to specific items or activities. The purpose of the present study was to teach children with autism to ask for items of interest from their peers. The setting of the study was an early childhood developmental delay preschool classroom in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The participants of the study were two preschool-aged children who were trained to ask for items from another child in the classroom using PECS. The child receiving the icon was also trained to discriminate the item being requested and deliver the appropriate reinforcer. Correct exchanges were defined as the child handing the correct icon for the item to the other child and the child receiving the icon gives the correct item to the other child. Social interactions are an important aspect of a child's development and are a major deficit for children with autism. Teaching our preschool aged children these skills benefits them in their social development in our classroom and better prepares them for future academic and social settings with peers.

The current literature supports video modeling as an effective means of teaching skills to almost all groups of learners. The present study focuses on increasing appropriate play-time social interactions of a 3-year-old child diagnosed with autism using a video modeling intervention package that includes the following: (a) a choice of the video play procedures, (b) video modeling of a variety of 3 component complex play interactions, (c) a token system, (d) an activity schedule, and (e) a choice of video reinforcers. Using an ABCA experimental design, baseline was compared to two intervention conditions (live modeling and video modeling), and finally the maintenance of social interactions was assessed using the same stimuli without the video components. Additionally, data on problem behavior exhibited during scheduled play periods in baseline conditions was compared to the frequency of problem behavior exhibited after the intervention was put in place. The outcome of the data is used to discuss video modeling as compared to live modeling, and the various potential reasons for its effectiveness are explored.

A number of studies have examined the use of a stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) procedure to increase the frequency of vocalizations in children with autism. Of these, only a few investigated the utility of the SSP procedure to increase functional language (e.g. mands and tacts). The present study investigated the effectiveness of an SSP procedure, combined with direct reinforcement, in increasing early vocalizations and shaping the vocalizations into mands in three children diagnosed with autism. A multiple-baseline across participants and phonemes design with two conditions (SSP combined with direct reinforcement and mand training) was utilized to examine three participants' responses during baseline, pairing and direct reinforcement, and mand training conditions. Results demonstrate that participants acquired the phonemes targeted in the pairing sessions, maintenance of the response over time, and generalization of the response.

When we begin training children to identify objects, typical practice is to begin with receptive identification and then progress to expressive identification. Sometimes we put emphasis on the receptive identification and then fail to follow with training expressive skills. Wynn and Smith (2003) suggested that generalization between expressive and receptive identification may be possible, but is not always guaranteed. The purpose of this study was to compare the expressive acquisition of pictures that children had previous receptive training on versus expressive acquisition of pictures that children did not have previous receptive training on. Three children, ranging from 2- to 4-years-old, with a generalized receptive repertoire and a strong echoic repertoire were selected from an early childhood developmental delay classroom. They were taught tacts for 80 pictures, 40 of which they had previous receptive training with and forty they had no previous receptive training, broken into 20 sets.

Functional communication training (FCT) is a variation of a differential reinforcement procedure that reduces challenging behaviors evoked by an establishing operation (EO) by teaching the individual to use an alternate appropriate response for requesting the reinforcer that has maintained the challenging behavior (Carr & Durand, 1985). FCT is an effective procedure because it does not focus on changing the EO, but on developing alternative behaviors that are receptive to the EO (Durand, 1990). Although an effective procedure, one challenge of FCT is that reinforcement for the alternative appropriate response is sometimes delayed or not available. Additionally, individuals may request reinforcement at inappropriately high levels. Thus, procedures for thinning schedules of reinforcement during FCT are needed (Hagopian, Fisher, Sullivan, Acquisto, & LeBlanc, 1998). However, only a few studies have examined the effects of schedule thinning on FCT; most studies on schedule thinning have focused on other differential reinforcement procedures (e.g., differential reinforcement of other behavior; DRO). Therefore, the purposes of this poster will be (a) to provide a summary of recent research related to schedule thinning during FCT and (b) to identify areas of future research.

Chaining procedures have been used by behavior analysts for many years in teaching skills to individuals with developmental disabilities and autism. Introductory behavior analytic texts primarily teach the use of three types of chaining procedures: forward, backward, and total task. One type of chaining procedure, reverse chaining, has previously been identified in the literature, but has been underutilized as a teaching strategy since its introduction. This poster will present suggestions for programmatic use of reverse chaining to include considerations of learner skill level, responses to prompting, and graphing and data collection considerations. When a learner can complete many of the steps in a task independently, the use of reverse chaining could be beneficial depending on which steps are already being completed independently. The addition of a leaps-ahead technique could be utilized to allow the learner to complete those steps already in their repertoire independently while the others are trained with the reverse chaining technique. The reverse chaining procedure additionally provides the benefit of a practice effect, especially important for learners who have a long history of completing a task incorrectly, for example, self-care skills. Real case examples where reverse chaining was used in clinical practice will be presented.

Training is a critical aspect to maintaining high levels of treatment integrity in staff. The use of video-based training allows for flexible and repeated viewing of materials. In comparison to other methods which can be time consuming and expensive for organizations, precluding the use of our most effective training methods. Although this area of research is growing, there has been a limited number of empirical investigations demonstrating the utility of video based instruction on treatment integrity. Behavior skills training has also been demonstrated in the literature as an effective training tool for discrete trial teaching methods. In this study each of these training methods were utilized to teach staff members in an adult day training facility to implement discrete trial instruction. Treatment integrity was measured across 10 critical skills for implementing discrete trial instruction. Participants received one of the training methods and treatment integrity was evaluated as the dependent measure.

Research on aggression has focused on gene-environment interaction models to explain the relative contribution of each to this behavioral phenotype. Recent investigations suggest a link between aggression in people with intellectual disabilities and the functionality of the serotonin transporter. The aims in this study were to examine the association of the STin2 and/or the 5-HTTLPR serotonin transporter polymorphisms in adult males with and without intellectual disabilities, and to examine the association of these polymorphisms with aggression in people with intellectual disabilities. DNA samples and behavioral records were obtained from adult males with intellectual disabilities, distinguished only by the presence or absence of aggression. The long 5-HTTLPR allele, and not the short allele or the heterozygous state, was associated with the severity of aggression. The association with aggression appears to be genetically complex, suggesting there may be other genes, interactions between genes, and/or environmental relations occasioning aggression in people with intellectual disabilities.

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of visual experience in the development of the perception of faces (Dufour, Coleman, Campbell, Petit & Pascalis, 2004; Humphreys, Gosselin, Schyns & Johnson, 2006). All the data available in literature indicate a sensitive period during the 1st year of life concerning development of the perception of facial expressions in which experience plays a significant role (Nelson, 2003; Nelson & al., 2001). Research into this period would enable us not only to provide explanations for the way in which this type of behavior occurs but also to detect infants with discrimination disorders concerning these stimuli. Where these children are concerned, none of these symptoms seem to implicate sensory perceptual deficits. However, it appears that perceptual disturbances lie at the origin of an alteration of discrimination capacities that can affect all of the senses, vision, hearing, touch, and so on. We want to present first results about the study of visual discrimination behavior for three major reasons; to obtain additional information on the role of the environment in the establishment of behavior in young children with or without developmental disorders, to find means of screening infants with developmental disorders, andto analyze the effects of behavioral treatment on the visual perception of children with autism before, during and after intensive behavioral intervention. We would like to discuss results about data with children with or without autism.

Improving fluency of performance, specifically skill stability, endurance, application, and retention, impacts many areas of adaptive functioning (Weiss, 2005). Precision teaching must be understood as an approach that involves specific components such as repeated practice, error-correction procedures, timed drills to meet predetermined fluency aims, and the use of the standard celeration charting (Pennypacker, Koenig, & Lindsley, 1972). This project used fluency-based instructional methods to specifically address academic competencies and to evaluate a hypothesis that this process would be correlated with decreases in challenging behavior and increases in overall independent on-task responding. The performance and challenging behavior data for two public elementary school students, ages 6 and 9, with autism were analyzed to evaluate this hypothesis with both cases demonstrating skill gains, improvements in independent on-task responding, and decreases in challenging behavior. By allocating program development resources to establish precision teaching models within these students' instructional programs, gains were evident across adaptive domains. This emphasizes the potential for strong evidence-based instructional procedures to optimize skill acquisition and reduce the need for specific behavior support protocols. Precision teaching models have strong potential to improve public school-based specialized instruction programs.

Visual schedules and supports are one of the evidenced-based practices employed with students with autism. For effective translation of this research into practice, institutes of higher learning should provide training to pre-service school personnel on the knowledge and skills to develop effective visual supports. In this presentation evaluative data on the effectiveness of an online training module in promoting pre-service school personnel's knowledge of visual supports will be presented. The sample consists of 38 graduate students (data has been collected with 17 students at this time) enrolled in an Issues in Special Education graduate course. Students completed a pretest before completing an online module on various types of visual supports for students with autism. Students then completed a post test. The gains in students' knowledge were examined using a paired samples t test. The results of the study in increasing the students' knowledge of visual supports, limitations, implications will be discussed. Further, information on resources/activities that can be employed to facilitate positive supportive classroom environment through visual supports for students with autism will be provided.

A key aspect of verbal behavior, and one that is at the core of communication deficits for children with autism, is generativity; put simply, the ability to produce or understand totally new sentences. This poster describes a novel computer-based protocol (Training & Assessment of Relational Precursors & Abilities; TARPA; Moran, Stewart, McElwee & Ming, 2010), based on relational frame theory and designed to allow for the assessment and training of a progression of key skills critical to the development of advanced flexible relational framing and hence generative language. We describe the background to and initial development of the TARPA protocol along with the current state and future direction of our research, and explain the core stages in the protocol (including basic discrimination, non-arbitrary conditional discrimination, arbitrary conditional discrimination, mutually entailed responding, combinatorial entailed responding, and transformation of function). We further present the results of initial pilot testing of this protocol, which has found significant correlations of scores on the TARPA with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and with the Preschool Language Scale-4. As a measure of critical verbal abilities the TARPA is a potentially important additional tool for appropriate curricular sequencing with a focus on the development of generative language.

A traditional language approach emphasizes receptive and expressive vocabulary by measuring the form and meanings of words used. Skinner's behavioral classification of language focuses on the functional and formal properties of verbal behavior and on the development of each verbal operant across a speaker and a listener (Sundberg & Michael, 2001). A behavioral analysis of language acquisition of typical preschoolers can provide behavior analysts data to determine communication objectives for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The purpose of this study was to classify language of typical 3-4-year-old children in a preschool setting using Skinner's elementary verbal operants (Skinner, 1957). Data for each of the verbal operants (mand, tact, echoic, intraverbal) was collected for 4 typically developing children. Results indicate a higher prevalence of peer manding in typical 3-year-old children, whereas greater incidence of intraverbal and tact behavior were observed in typical 4-year-old children. This study provides data on the acquisition sequence of verbal behavior of typically developing children to focus treatment plans for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

This poster discusses the effectiveness of positive behavior support (PBS) across three young boys with autism in a rural, Tennessee area. This study seeks to contribute to the field of autism and education by bridging the research to practice gap in PBS literature. Investigators evaluated the effectiveness of a function-based intervention delivered by PBS&I's consultative model in a rural Tennessee area, with preschool teachers as primary intervention agents. In this study, three inclusive preschool teachers referred their respective students with autism to PBS&I. All three children demonstrated challenging behavior that impeded access to their learning environments. In collaboration with parents and teachers, PBS&I conducted a functional behavior assessment and developed an individualized function-based multi-component behavior plan for each young boy. PBS staff provided teacher training through a structured model-practice-feedback format with self-monitoring via treatment fidelity checklists. Results are reported in the context of a non-concurrent multiple baseline. The results demonstrated an increased frequency of classroom engagement and participation. Functional communication skills increased for two of the three boys. After training procedures, high treatment fidelity was maintained across all three teachers during intervention phase. Social validity and implications for PBS with young children with autism in rural areas will be discussed.

Early intensive behavioral intervention is documented as an effective strategy to improve outcomes for children with autism (McEachin, Smith, & Lovaas, 1993; Lovaas, 1987). Under this model of intervention most children with autism receive home-based service delivery where supervision is infrequent. This is problematic as recent research suggests the effectiveness of behavioral interventions is associated with supervision intensity and quality (Eikeseth, Hawyward, Gale, Gitlesen & Eldevik, 2009). In order to provide effective service delivery for children with autism, ongoing evaluation and therapist feedback are necessary (Buzhardt & Heitzman-Powell, 2005). The Life Span Institute Autism Training Program (ATP) is designed to provide service providers a basic understanding of evidence-based strategies to improve the functional skills and social-communicative ability of children with autism. As the ATP has grown in capacity, services have expanded and therefore the need for quality control measures is required. The first author created fidelity measures in order to document the integrity, quality, and quantity of service provider implementation of interventions taking place in the home and community settings. This poster will provide an overview of each fidelity measure and a parent satisfaction survey. Implications for the use of these measures to improve service delivery will be described.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the acceptability and usability of video modeling (VM) from practitioners' points of view in Taiwan. Surveys and workshops introducing the application of VM on autism have been conducted and is ongoing. The survey questions include (a) demographic information; (b) pretest: whether the participants had used VM and their knowledge on VM; and (c) posttest: whether the participants will consider using VM, viewpoints on VM, and their intention and ability to make the VM video. A total of 117 surveys returned. 39% of them (n = 45) had used VM and 59% (n = 69) had not used VM prior to the workshop. Among those who had used VM, 47% (n = 21) used self-made and 38% (n = 17) used commercialized or government-made videos. After the workshops so far, 84% (n = 98) of the participants answered that they will use VM in the future even it is time-consuming and requires technology skills. However, 7% (n = 8) of the participants would not consider VM if they need to produce the videos by themselves. Further, Chi-square analyses will be performed to examine the effects of demographic characteristics and pair-t tests will be used to test the effects of workshop on dependent variables.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders who experience sleep problems suffer widespread behavioral and adaptive consequences, including negative effects on the family system. Although the intervention literature on sleep treatments for typical populations is well established, there is limited research regarding interventions for individuals with autism. In this study, functional assessment and behavior support procedures were used in conjunction with outpatient family therapy to treat long-standing sleep problems in an adolescent girl with autism, intellectual disability, and pica. The presenting problem was a failure to sleep alone which had occurred nightly for 9 years. Unlike standard outpatient sleep protocols for typical populations, our model included comprehensive parent training on the use of applied behavior analysis techniques and the development of a sleep behavior support plan based upon a functional review of the environmental contingencies supporting the maladaptive behavior. This included adaptive skill instruction (e.g., visual schedules with training on self-monitoring), differential reinforcement procedures, antecedent modifications to the environment, and specific response protocols for challenging behaviors. Within 1 week of intervention, the child was sleeping alone nightly without problem behaviors (e.g., screaming, elopement attempts). Follow-up at 6, 12, and 24 months showed maintenance of gains following discontinuation of the formal support protocol.

Developing appropriate function-based behavior support plans is an ongoing struggle for school teams. Improving the application of functional analysis procedures in schools substantially expands the resources available to teams for informing intervention planning. Functional analysis methodology has been well documented in the research literature since the seminal study by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman was published in 1984. The majority of the subsequent research follows Iwata's (Iwata, et al,1984-1994) procedure for testing the functions of behavior in controlled analogue settings. This technology has been successfully replicated in clinical settings with strong resources; however, less research has considered the role it can play in naturalistic settings (Lang, Sigafoos, Lancoini, Didden, & Rispoli, 2010). This study applies the principles of functional analysis technology to a model conducted in the learner's natural environment using teachers as therapists. Two elementary-aged students with challenging behaviors were selected as participants. Condition parameters were modified from those described by Iwata et al. for implementation within the classroom setting. Analysis of the data from each case suggested a clear differentiation between conditions, thereby suggesting that the classroom-based model could substantially improve assessment capabilities within the natural environment.