Association for Behavior Analysis International

The conference co-chairs will present opening remarks.

For three decades after Leo Kanner’s first clinical description, research progress in understanding and treating autism was minimal. Since the late 1960s autism discoveries have been exponential. The impetus for this explosion of empirical research was the discovery that something could be done to prevent the inevitable downward spiral of autism using Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention. Two other important factors were widely accepted as clinical tests for autism: the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule and the proliferation of magnetic tesonant imaging technologies (especially functional brain imaging) leading to localizing brain areas most involved in autism deficits overcome by EIBI. Naturalistic and discrete trial methods are now integrated, with emphasis depending on degree of disability. As we approach 2020, autism has begun to be an eminently treatable condition for many affected children.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

I am a Professor of Hearing & Speech Sciences at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine with joint appointments in Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Special Education. I have devoted my career exclusively to research, teaching, and clinical activities in the field of autism and developmental disabilities. My research has focused on the pathogenesis and treatment of autism and related conditions with a particular focus on repetitive and inflexible patterns of behavior. Research in these areas from our group has been published in a variety of journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, Science, PLoS One, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Autism Research, the American Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, the Journal of Pediatrics, Brain Behavior Research, and Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience. My research has been continuously funded by NIH since 1992. My service activities have included: standing member of the NIH Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section; Editor of Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice; Associate Editor of the American Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, Co-Chair of the Institute of Medicine Developmental Disabilities Task Force, Governor-appointed member of the Council on Developmental Disabilities; Senate Appointee of the Legislative Study Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders; expert consultant for the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and faculty member of the International Congress on Movement Disorders.

Repetitive patterns of behavior are a hallmark of autism. However, both the research literature and common practices related to this form of behavior are mixed on a key issue: Should repetitive behavior be seen as an adaptive response and encouraged, or a challenging behavior to be treated? Many people with autism report that their repetitive behaviors are useful for them and even an important source of their identity. But, for others, more severe forms of repetitive behavior may limit opportunities for development and may cause stress for families, teachers, and care providers due to the behavior and mood problems that are associated with inflexibility. What assessments are useful for identifying the instances where repetitive behaviors are impeding development and thus are reasonable targets for intervention? And, what intervention approaches are practical and effective when this is the case? When a child with autism has trouble with communication or socialization we intuitively know what to teach to address these deficits, and a considerable amount of research and good practice provide us with guides on how to do this effectively. But, how do you “teach to” the issue of repetitive, rigid and inflexible behavior? Without this notion of how to best address this behaviorally, poor outcomes are a possibility, and non-evidenced based approaches may be considered and applied. In this talk, I’ll review research that has examined the underlying biological and behavioral mechanisms that appear to drive repetitive patterns of behavior and how this information can inform behavioral intervention practices. Key aspects of this work are informed from work in the experimental analysis of behavior on behavioral variability, and work on the behavioral neuroscience of choice, reward and reinforcement. In addition, I’ll describe work we are doing on clinical applications of this research program in clinics, homes, and schools.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Please join us for coffee and pastries.

There is considerable empirical evidence that shows assessment-based instruction can improve the efficacy and efficiency of skill acquisition for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Nevertheless, assessment-based instruction is not yet widely used by practitioners. One variable that may contribute to this research-to-practice gap is lack of familiarity with how to design and conduct these assessments. Dr. Kodak will present a step-by-step guide to designing and using assessment-based instruction to inform selection of skill-acquisition methods for clients with ASD. Descriptions, examples, and relevant data sheets and graphical displays will be provided to teach attendees how to design skill acquisition assessments.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Please join us for a provided lunch.

Dr. Lewis completed his undergraduate education at Bowdoin College after which he worked in the area of developmental disabilities, and completed a Master’s degree from Western Michigan University. His interest in developmental disabilities continued during his Ph.D. studies at the Kennedy Center at Vanderbilt University, where he focused on repetitive behavior in individuals with intellectual disability. Interest in the neurobiological basis of these behaviors led him to pursue post-doctoral training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Lewis has held faculty positions at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida, where he is currently Professor, Co-Vice Chair for Research, and Executive Director, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. His research has employed both clinical studies and animal models to understand the phenomenology, etiology, pathophysiology and treatment of repetitive behaviors. His work with animal models has helped elucidate the neural circuitry involved in the development and expression of these behaviors and has pointed to potential novel treatments. Dr. Lewis has been the recipient of a number of NIH grant awards, has been a member and chaired numerous NIH grant review panels, has published over 125 papers in refereed journals, and has served as reviewer and editorial board member for a number of scientific journals.

Restricted repetitive behavior (e.g., stereotypies, compulsions, rituals) is diagnostic for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and frequently observed in related neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite this, relatively little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms that mediate the development and expression of these repetitive behaviors. This lack of knowledge precludes effective early intervention and prevention strategies. Clinical studies have provided limited findings based on a small number of neuroimaging and genetic studies. Moreover, there is little evidence for the efficacy of pharmacotherapy for restricted repetitive behavior in individuals with ASD. Valid animal models can aid substantially in identifying pathophysiological factors mediating aberrant repetitive behavior and aid in treatment development. We will review relevant clinical neuroscience as well as our findings from animal models, highlighting the role of altered cortical-basal ganglia circuitry in the development and expression of these behaviors. We will also review our pharmacological studies in animal models that have identified novel potential therapeutic targets for clinical drug development.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Dr. Coyne is the Founder and Senior Clinical Consultant of the McLean OCD Institute for Children and Adolescents at McLean Hospital, and is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. She is the Founder and Director of the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety (NECOA), and is on the Faculty of the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) of the International OCD Foundation.  She is also a licensed psychologist and a peer-reviewed ACT trainer. She has authored multiple articles and chapters on ACT with children and adolescents, and is a co-author of the books Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Clinician’s Guide for Supporting Parents (Elsevier), and The Joy of Parenting (New Harbinger).  Her new books, The ACT Guide to Teen Anxiety and OCD, Guilford Press, and Stuff That’s Loud: A Teen’s Guide to Unspiralling When OCD Gets Noisy (New Harbinger & Little Brown), are expected in 2020.

Contemporary approaches to anxiety and fear in children and adolescents employ exposure-based treatments and experiential learning. New research on how exposure works has suggested specific guidelines we can use to enhance these approaches. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral evidence-based intervention that can be used to support inhibitory learning in exposure-based treatment. Thus, this talk will discuss how applied behavior analysts may incorporate ACT into exposure-based treatment; namely, through shaping curiosity, willingness, and flexibility in the presence of fear and anxiety. Specifically, the speaker will discuss data on inhibitory learning processes in exposure, and how to incorporate specific ACT interventions into exposure to strengthen and contextualize this type of learning.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Please join us for coffee and pastries.

Section 1.05 of the BACB Compliance Code focuses on professional relationships between people of differing ages, genders, races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, sexual orientations, disabilities, languages, and socioeconomic status. Ideally, behavior analysts in clinical practice should be non-discriminatory and be developing increasingly more cultural responsiveness when working with people of differing backgrounds, life experiences and preferences. Cultural responsiveness is closely yoked with experience, ethical perspectives and social justice. This presentation will review behavior analytic conceptualizations of culture and cultural responsiveness, coloniality and the WEIRDness of our discipline, ethical perspectives, and some inherent barriers and possibilities within our discipline. The presentation will close with a summary of suggested pathways leading to cultural responsiveness and social justice.

Board certified behavior analysts; graduate students.

What a difference a decade makes! Only 10 years ago, very few families had access to health insurance coverage for ABA. Today, ABA coverage is expected. But significant gaps in coverage still exist, and significant restrictions sometimes discourage or block providers from recommending and delivering needed intensity. Join Lorri Unumb, Esq., as she shares strategies for addressing or overcoming the coverage gaps and caps. Lorri will also discuss general insurance trends, including the recent proliferation of products that masquerade as insurance but don’t include ABA coverage.

Board certified behavior analysts.

The purposes of the Autism Special Interest Group (Autism SIG) are to (1) promote evidence based practices in regard to treatment for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); (2) promote best practices as it relates to procedures/interventions based upon the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) as it relates to individuals diagnosed with ASD; (3) help individuals diagnosed with ASD, families of individuals diagnosed with ASD, and consumers to identify components of evidence based practices, quality behavioral intervention, and effective treatments; (4) help protect individuals diagnosed with ASD and their families from ineffective, non-evidence based, and/or potential harmful treatment(s); (5) serve as a scientific and professional reference and networking group for its members; and (6) organize an annual meeting to provide a forum for discussion of the affairs of the SIG. In this talk we will briefly describe recent developments that have occurred within the Autism SIG as well as future plans in the upcoming year.