Association for Behavior Analysis International

The program chair will provide opening remarks.

Years of research and practice has shown us that Autistic children/children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show deficits in social skills development. This may ultimately lead to problems for the child in learning other skills, making friends, interacting within the family, school, and community. Limitations in socials skills can lead to becoming a victim of bullying, which ultimately may lead to anxiety and depression. For these very formidable reasons, it is important to teach social skills to Autistic children/children diagnosed with ASD. Moreover, social skills, such as play, athletic games, and other forms of positive peer interaction, may be fun and can lead to an improved quality of life for the child and the family. Additionally, while there are many social skills, with a little behavioral ingenuity, they are easy to teach, do generalize, and can maintain. Today’s presentation will discuss the basic behaviors necessary for social skills:social speech, play, and reciprocal interaction. This discussion will focus on treatment used in dyad and group formats. Finally, the presentation will include the importance of social skills groups, their use with younger children, their use in a culturally diverse world, the importance of communication, play, and reciprocal interaction above specific curriculum, the importance of active games, and the promising technique of Zoom social groups for certain communities. Scientific data and video clips will be provided.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Reimbursement for ABA services is vitally important but significant challenges continue to exist. This presentation will provide an overview of the process for developing and valuing the ABA CPT codes, describe the purpose of Medically Unlikely Edits (MUEs), provide an overview of reimbursement challenges with ABA services, and discuss the work of the ABA Billing Codes Commission.

Providers utilizing the ABA CPT Codes.

Join us for complimentary coffee and snacks.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been empirically validated and clinically implemented for Autistic individuals/individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for more than 50 years. Concerns have been raised about ABA and related intervention methods as used with Autistic individuals since the field's inception, but these concerns have not historically been adequately addressed. These concerns are related to specific practices and the possible harm that they may cause, as well as the larger cultural ableism that informs the field as a whole. In this conversation, we will begin a discussion on neurodiversity and ABA that is long overdue. The panelists will model a dialogue that behavior analysts can have with Autistic individuals regarding these issues, emphasize the importance of active listening and joint attention, and lay the groundwork for future ongoing conversations in this area.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. 

Dr. Ross is the Chief Clinical Officer at Beacon ABA Services of Massachusetts and Connecticut where he has worked for over 20 years. He received his Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University and his Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University.  Dr. Ross provides oversight to all clinical, research and training activity at Beacon ABA Services, he has been providing direct and consultation services to families, schools and educational programs and clinicians throughout the U.S., Canada, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for over 30 years. He is a founding member and current President of the Massachusetts Association for Applied Behavior Analysis.  Dr.  Ross is also the ABAI Special Interest Group Chair and Past President of the Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) of ABAI, has served three terms on the ABAI Practice Board and is on the editorial board of Exceptional Parent magazine.  He has written numerous articles on a range of topics in ABA based ASD treatment and a book chapter on Matrix Training in the Handbook of Social Skills and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Ross is currently focusing his efforts on expanding access to quality ABA treatment internationally.

Function-based treatment of challenging behavior often involves withholding reinforcement for challenging behavior (i.e., extinction) while simultaneously reinforcing alternative behavior (i.e., differential reinforcement). The arrangement of these two contingencies lends itself to further study through translational research methods, which involve the extension of laboratory-based research findings to every clinical practice. In particular, prior research has shown that if reinforcement of alternative behavior is reduced, eliminated, or implemented with poor integrity, challenging behavior may re-emerge (i.e., clinical relapse). This talk will present two lines of translational research related to the translational study of treatment relapse. Highlighting data from our own lab as well as published work of others, the talk will provide the audience with an introduction to translational research, concepts related to the study of treatment relapse, and case examples to illustrate implications for clinical practice.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

All attendees

The program chair will provide closing remarks.