Association for Behavior Analysis International

Objective: Given the importance of bilateral rhythmic operant behaviors such as typing and face washing in daily life, the limited effectiveness of rehabilitative training is a significant concern. Consequently, we explored how unilateral cerebellar stimulation can modify these bilateral rhythmic behaviors. Methods: Fourteen healthy adults participated in this study. They were instructed to perform rhythmic hand behaviors with their right and left sides in response to metronome rhythms. Electrical stimulation at 5 Hz, 60 Hz, or a sham condition was applied to the right cerebellum of the participants during these tasks. Ethics: The intensity and frequency of the cerebellar electrical stimulation were maintained within the safety range confirmed by previous studies and approved by an ethical committee. Results: The temporal accuracies of right-hand rhythmic behaviors were significantly improved by the cerebellar electrical stimulation. However, those for left-hand rhythmic behaviors did not show significant improvement. Conclusion: Right-side cerebellar stimulation can improve the temporal and spatial accuracies of right-hand rhythmic operant behaviors. Analysis of behavioral-neural integration would contribute to a new method of rehabilitation.

Objective: Recently, it has been shown that the inter-stimulus interval of paired associative stimulation (PAS) affects the direction of synaptic strength, causing long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). However, whether LTP and LTD of cortical synaptic strength influence behavior is an ongoing debate. We therefore compared differences in corticospinal excitability and behavior during PAS between stimulus intervals. Methods: Participants were neurologically normal adults. Participants were instructed to perform abduction of the right index finger in response to a beep. The AB design was employed, with an asynchronous condition followed by a synchronous condition. The stimulus interval between movement onset and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was 36.0 ms in the synchronous condition and 35.3 ms in the asynchronous condition. Ethics: This study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee. Results: The experimental results showed an increase in motor evoked potentials, a shortening of reaction time and an increase in peak velocity under the synchronous condition. Conclusion: These results suggest that corticospinal excitability and behavior may be differentially altered by the stimulus interval of the behavior-relevant PAS.

Prior studies report on the effects of psychotropic medication in reducing challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury) in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The corpus of this literature suggests mixed results, highlight the importance of more research targeting the mechanisms by which anxiolytic medications exert their effect on challenging behavior. The current study extends the literature by exploring the relationship between psychotropic medications and rates of challenging behavior in individuals admitted to an inpatient unit for the assessment and treatment of severe behavior. Inclusion criteria required that participants were prescribed at least one psychotropic medication during baseline. Effect sizes were calculated to evaluate the magnitude of effect of medication(s) on rate of challenging behavior during baseline only. Study findings are discussed with respect to changes in challenging behavior amid regimes of anxiolytic medications, and clinical implications are considered regarding the efficacy of this drug class in individuals with IDD who engage in problem behavior.

Resurgence is the recurrence of previous reinforced behavior by the worsening of current alternative behavior. Jarmolowicz and Lattal (2014) showed that delayed alternative reinforcement could serve as a worsening condition to produce resurgence, but it is unclear if the recurrence obtained was function of the delay or decrease of reinforcement rate. The aim of this study was exploring resurgence under delayed reinforcement without changing reinforcement rate. First, chain-pull was reinforced as target response. Second, lever-press was reinforced as alternative response while target response contacts extinction. Lastly, delays in alternative reinforcement were progressively increasing while the value of the reinforcement schedule were diminished, equaling reinforcement rate. Preliminary results showed that lower target response and decreasing alternative rates were maintained with most of delays. Resurgence was found until the longest delay were introduced for two of three rats but where lower than level exhibit under extinction. Findings suggest that introducing delays with more richer schedules of reinforcement rate could late resurgence of target behavior.

The contribution of different response requirements with or without a deadline to the occurrence of procrastinating behavior was evaluated. Specifically undergraduate students clicked on either of three buttons, presented on the screen of a smartphone, to earn points according to the following contingency. For 6 participants, a variable ratio of 10, 20 or 30 pressings for a point was programmed for a left, central, or right button, respectively. All participants had 6 trials of 90 seconds each to complete whatever of the three requirements. The main dependent variable was the temporal distribution of responses to each option in 9 10-s subintervals of each trial. As was expected, the frequency of responses to the button with the highest response requirement increased gradually as each trial elapsed for both groups. According to procrastination theory, as the response effort or requirement of a task increases the delay to initiating and completing it increases.

Previous research has found that rich-to-lean transitions may function aversively for both humans and non-humans. This study's purpose is to insert a neutral period between reinforcer delivery and the start of a new transition to decrease pausing; time-out periods occurred after half or all the food reinforcers. This time-out period may assist in mitigating the aversiveness of transitioning from more to less favorable conditions by diminishing the interaction between the past and upcoming reinforcer magnitudes. Pigeons’ pecking was reinforced under a multiple FR FR schedule in which completion of half of the ratios was reinforced with small (lean) and half was reinforced with large (rich) amounts of access to grain. For the two-color condition, different key light colors signaled only the upcoming magnitude; for the four-color condition, different key light colors were associated with each of the four transition types. All pigeons experienced both conditions. Overall, pigeons paused on average 2 to 10 times as long during rich-to-lean transitions than all other transition types. Different timeout durations were examined in a reversal design. Stimulus conditions were switched for each group allowing for the analysis of the relative contributions of the past and upcoming magnitudes on pausing.

The present study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of recombinative generalization when following instructions (action-object), using a teaching matrix and video-modeling. The actions “circle”, “cross out”, “underline” and “make a triangle over” were used as stimuli and the Greek letters zeta, sigma, gamma and lambda, organized in sub-matrices, were used as objects. A design of multiple probes between sub-matrices was used. The teaching task consisted of presenting visual stimuli (Greek letters) in the four corners of the computer screen simultaneously with the presentation of the target instruction. The child should perform the action (using the mouse) in relation to the corresponding object/letter. If correct, a potentially reinforcing consequence was presented; and if incorrect response, a video model was presented (in which the model/researcher performed the action in relation to the Greek letter corresponding to the dictated instruction), followed by a new opportunity for the participant to respond. The assessment task employed the same configuration, but without presenting different consequences. Data collection was carried out remotely. The four children with ASD aged between 6 and 9 years followed the instructions taught and showed recombinative generalization. The data suggest that teaching following instructions via video modeling was effective and the use of the teaching matrix contributed to promoting recombinative generalization, despite intra- and inter-participant and inter-sub-matrices variability.

Delay discounting describes how an outcome loses value as the delay to the outcome increases. We measured discounting of different types of talk-therapy in standard discounting tasks and cross-commodity discounting tasks. In a standard discounting task, the reinforcer on one choice alternative is the same reinforcer on the other choice alternative. In cross-commodity discounting tasks, the reinforcers on each alternative are qualitatively different. We compared the hyperbolic discounting model (Mazur, 1987) to a modified hyperbolic model to determine the highest quality model for the standard and cross-commodity discounting task. Model quality was compared using two popular information criteria, Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion. For data from the standard discounting task, the information criteria behave as expected and select the simpler model. In one case for the cross-commodity discounting, the information criteria are strict enough to prefer the simpler model even though the more complex model is visually, noticeably better. Conceptual, theoretical, and practical considerations will be discussed.

Altruism has been shown to decrease as a function of increasing social distance. This relation is captured by social discounting which outlines a quantitative decline between reward value and increasing social distance. In the social discounting questionnaire, participants are prompted to imagine a list of the 100 people closest to them in order to determine reward values to socially distant persons. Similarly, in the reciprocal discounting questionnaire, participants are required to imagine the same list but instead report how a socially distant person would value rewards to themselves (the participant). Previous research has found that participants tend to report more altruism towards others than others are in return (towards the participant). But in the discounting questionnaires, the questionnaires usually do not specify the name of the socially distant person; rather, a vague indication (i.e., ‘Person 1’) is used. Perhaps if specific names were employed, altruism and generosity from others would be more similar. The present study evaluates the effect of specific naming on social and reciprocal discounting similarity.

Effects of delay of reinforcement is one of the most studied topics in the behavioral sciences. The present work aimed to test predictions of the “Mathematical Principles of Reinforcement” (MPR: Killeen, 1994), concerning the effects of delays on performances under variable interval (VI) schedules. 28 university students participated in the study. Participants were divided equally into two groups: Delay Group and Immediate Group. In a one-session experiment, participants of both groups responded under five VI values: 1 s, 6 s, 20 s, 35 s, and 60 s. In the Delay Group, reinforcers for participants’ responding occurred after a 1 s delay. In the Immediate Group, reinforcers were immediately delivered to participants’ responses. A two-way ANOVA revealed a main effect of VI schedules but not of delay. There were no interaction effects. MPR fits revealed an r2 ≈ 0.80 for the averaged data of both groups, but fits for the individual data prevented a conclusion concerning the predictions of the model. It is suggested that longer sessions, using stability criteria, can answer the question with greater reliability.

The generalized matching equation (GME) is a quantitative model of a given organism’s response allocation across concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Though some studies have found evidence of matching behavior among human subjects, others have observed marked departures. Given that non-human response allocation more commonly adheres to the GME in the published research, this has led some to question the GME’s generality vis-à-vis human subjects. One critique revolves around the presence of ordinal, schedule-correlated stimuli in several studies that have found positive evidence of matching in human subjects, a feature that is largely absent in non-human matching research. Therefore, the present pilot study exposed adult human participants to concurrent schedules of reinforcement accompanied by ordinal, schedule-correlated stimuli. Presses on two buttons displayed on a laptop screen were reinforced with points putatively exchangeable for money on variable interval schedules of reinforcement. Participants were exposed to three concurrent schedules of reinforcement for five-minute intervals, and response allocation was subsequently subject to generalized matching analysis. As of this writing, most subjects have exhibited indifference to the schedule parameters and idiosyncratic descriptions of the contingencies in subsequent interviews.

Social distance describes how close an individual feels to someone else. There have been issues measuring it, as physical distance is measured in ratio units while social distance is measured on an ordinal scale. Safin and Rachlin (2020) proposed a method to measure it with a ratio scale. However, they asserted that their method produced high variability at the lowest positions in the social distance scale, affecting its precision. We developed the drawing-a-line method [DLM] to measure social distance with a ratio scale more accurately. We asked 76 participants to place people in positions 1, 2, 20, 50, and 100 of the social distance scale and to draw a line representing how close they feel to each of them. We extracted the line’s length and used it as the value to construct the discount function. Results show minimal variability in the distance assigned to people placed at low positions. We also found that the hyperbolic pattern of discounting remained, even when ordinal social distance was replaced directly. We discuss the results in terms of how the DLM stands against the traditional method and Safin and Rachlin’s one and conclude that it measures social distance with a ratio scale effectively.

Teachers are often searching out classroom management strategies to improve student behavior in the classroom. This study sought to enhance an existing group contingency that was proving to be ineffective in reducing disruptive behavior in a fourth/fifth grade special education classroom. The researcher utilized an ABAB design to investigate the effectiveness of an independent group contingency on student behavior during one academic period per day in a classroom with eight students with multiple disabilities. The group contingency was designed by adding a token to the existing group contingency paired with feedback delivered on a 3-min fixed time schedule. Students who met the criterion received reinforcement. The findings revealed that disruptive behavior decreased to a mean 6% during the most difficult teaching time within the classroom while active engagement behavior increased to a mean 82%. The teacher’s ratings on a treatment acceptability survey indicated the teacher would continue to utilize the system and recommend it to others. The study showed that an already established classroom intervention could be strengthened to improve outcomes while also maintaining the feasibility of the intervention so that the teacher is able to execute on their own.

Delivering feedback is an important component in teaching new skills. Feedback provides information about which steps were completed correctly and how to improve steps that were incorrect. We evaluated the effectiveness of and preference for two feedback types across two levels of instruction. Participants attended a two-phase laboratory session in which they learned clinical tasks. During Phase 1, participants learned two tasks in an alternating order. After performing each task, the experimenter provided either narrative or numerical feedback. Narrative feedback involved providing qualitative statements whereas numerical feedback involved providing quantitative summaries. The task order and pairing of feedback with each task was counterbalanced across participants. During Phase 2, participants learned a third task and demonstrated their feedback preference by choosing the feedback type over 5 trials. Throughout the session, participants received either minimal instructions (n=10) or enhanced instructions (n=10) on all of the tasks. The results showed that most participants preferred the narrative feedback, regardless of instruction type. This preference was most evident in the first trial of the choice procedure. No differences were found in performance across feedback or instruction type. This research provides insights into effective and preferred strategies to facilitate training of common clinical tasks.

Professional development (PD) is crucial for both novice and established teachers, enhancing their teaching practices to support optimal student outcomes. Video analysis is a form of PD involving self-reflection through watching recorded teaching sessions. Reviews of the single-case literature have identified video analysis as highly effective, but similar synthesis of the group design literature has not occurred. Group-design research typically has smaller effect sizes and different outcome measures than single-case research. The purpose of this study is to use meta-analytic methods to investigate the effectiveness of video analysis on the instructional practices of educators within group design research. We aim to examine similarities and differences between single-case and group design research, exploring whether the positive effects found for single-case research are replicated in the group design literature. Meta-regression analyses will assess the differential effects of publication type, methodological quality, participant characteristics (e.g., role, education level, experience level, age), and instructional characteristics (e.g., group size, type of instruction, grade level, setting) on the effectiveness of video analysis. The outcomes of this study may inform the development of future PD for educators. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.

The Noosphere (in comparison to the geosphere and the biosphere) describes the evolution of interconnected thought and communication occurring at a global level within the human species occasioned by advances in modern technologies. A Master class was developed to engage participants in critical discussion around the Science of the Noosphere and advances in Relational Frame Theory, including Relational Density Theory, have the potential to evaluate the symbolic relations of participants in response to the class material. The present study sought to assess shifts in worldview of participants in the class by relating stimuli associated with divergent worldviews and mapped using the multidimensional scaling procedure. Results showed two distinct relational clusters prior-to the class that persisted at the end of the class, including an optimistic view of an interconnected and cooperative world that is diverse (including biodiversity), and a pessimistic view of an independent and competitive world. Participants' views of society today become more optimistic throughout the course, corresponding with naturalistic language collected throughout the course. Relations distance also decreased between participants’ worldviews and their perspective on society 100 years from now, speaking to the human potential to consider, and therefore to potential shape, our future.

Although Precision Teaching (PT) was designed to be implemented by teachers, McTiernan et al., (2021) found that PT is primarily implemented by researchers. One step towards bridging this research to practice gap and increasing the uptake of PT in schools is through exploring procedural fidelity and developing achievable implementation standards. Carroll et al., (2013) found that teachers do not consistently implement all components of academic interventions to high levels of fidelity. However, high levels of fidelity are not always necessary on all intervention components to maintain positive intervention outcomes (Brand et al., 2019). Thus, this study aimed to explore the impact of fidelity errors on student outcomes when PT is implemented by teachers. Five classroom teachers and their students in mainstream educationally disadvantaged schools in the Republic of Ireland participated in this study. Teachers were trained to use PT to teach the Morningside Math Facts Addition and Subtraction Curriculum. A between-subjects group design was used to examine the impact of fidelity on student outcomes. Each classroom was randomly assigned to one of the five fidelity variation groups (i.e. 100% fidelity, 75% fidelity, 50% fidelity, 25% fidelity, 0% fidelity). Implications of these findings for research and practice will be discussed.

Sports are composed by many competitive contingencies that emulates the competitive environment of other practices in our society. Those competitive contingencies inherently produce frustration since there are less reinforcers available than people competing for then. Moreover, competitive contingencies can produce many aversive contingencies that can negatively influence the development of skills. Cooperative contingencies differently can produce behaviors and reduce aversive contingencies to promote skills development. The present study reported the effects of the application of Good Behavior Game (GBG) in a sports initiation class of ten 8-year-old children to promote cooperative behaviors, such as asking for help, helping others, and encouraging others, and reduce negative expressions of frustration such as quit the sports practice, diminish his/her own sports skill and being aggressive to others when lose or make a mistake. The kids were divided into two teams independent of the sports modality being taught and cooperation and emotional regulations skills were rewarded with points. The points could be exchanged for goods or privileges in a market built by the experimenters. Emotional regulations skills were behaviors incompatible to frustration like taking a 2-minute break to breath, trying again even willing to give up or ask for help. In parallel with GBG, each day the teachers were instructed how to manage frustration and aggression and received feedback from their behaviors from previous classes. The intervention lasted for four months and showed a marked increase in cooperative behaviors and a decrease on negative expressions of frustration.

In this study, equivalence-based instruction was used to teach hypothesis testing methods to graduate and undergraduate students majoring in psychology. Five classes six members representing the z-test, t-test, F-test, chi-square test, and binomial test, were taught. A pretest-training-posttest-maintenance design was used, and baseline relations were taught with a match-to-sample task that was controlled by a computer. The effect of training was assessed with written and computerized pretests and posttests, and 1 week after training, a written and computerized test was administered to assess the maintenance of the effect of training. The test scores improved from before to after training, derived relations emerged, and class-consistent selections were generalized to a novel context (i.e., written test) across all participants. Additionally, these effects were maintained 1 week after training across all participants. This study systematically replicates precious findings showing that equivalence-based instruction can teach advanced content to college students, and is the first study to teach hypothesis testing methods with equivalence-based instruction.

Problem behavior has become an increasing cause of concern in public schools. Straying away from zero tolerance, schools are shifting to providing support by utilizing positive behavior supports (PBS). As public schools shift away from zero tolerance it is important educators have a baseline knowledge of the behavior principles that guide PBS in order to effectively decrease problem behavior. Despite efforts to provide primary support within a PBS model, problem behavior has continued to increase (Scott, 2001). As behavior incidents continue to rise, schools can utilize tiered interventions that derive from behavioral principles to help decrease problem behavior. This literature review consists of 20 articles that implemented tier 2 or tier 3 leveled interventions to help decrease problem behavior. From this analysis, information regarding the use of tier 2 and tier 3 behavioral interventions based on ABA principles is discussed, as well as limitations within current research and suggestions for future practice.

We tested the effects of a book conditioning procedure (Buttigieg & Greer, submitted 2023) on the amount of time toddlers with developmental delays selected books in the free play area. We measured the establishment of books as conditioned reinforcers on its relation to the replacement of interfering stereotypy. We also tested the rate of learning of listener and textual responses to two-dimensional stimuli once books were conditioned as reinforcers. The study is ongoing but preliminary data suggest that consistent with Buttigieg and Greer (2023), once books are established as reinforcers, stereotypy is reduced and the rate of learning (trials-to-criterion) for letter names improves. This appears to be the case regardless of which method (operant conditioning, stimulus-stimulus pairing, or peer observation/denial) was used to condition books. Children emitted less stereotypy as a function of having more reinforcers. Results are discussed in generalizing to other populations, conditioning other reinforcers, and an empirical definition of reading readiness.

Vaccine hesitancy is a diffused psychological phenomenon, and it has been addressed in several studies. Its effects bear several consequences for public health, for example in terms of population immunization and intensive-care unit pressure. Communication campaigns, mass- and social media play an important role and have a responsibility towards users’ likelihood to vaccinate or show hesitancy. Previous studies found that how information is communicated exerts an influence on agents’ choices and decisions, although the information is the same and should not influence their preferences. To inquire about this phenomenon in the context of the current pandemic, we hypothesized that highlighting different aspects of data available on the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines would influence people’s perceptions of the vaccine and their willingness to be vaccinated. We administered two versions of a survey to a convenience sample of students of three universities in Italy. In the first version, salience was placed on the effectiveness of the vaccine in terms of reducing the probability of infection. In the second version, salience was placed on the probability of hospitalization after being infected with Covid- 19. The results confirmed our hypothesis. We discuss the implications of these findings for the development of behaviorally informed public policies.

Problem gambling can cause significant harm to a person and to the people in their lives. If gambling disorder is developed, some individuals can lose control of their gambling even when it causes significant problems in their lives (American Psychiatric Association, 2021). Most research surrounding gambling is done using slot machines, and while these results have been found to generalize with few differences, the field of video poker and poker in general is understudied. Research has shown that persistence in poker can be predicted by frequency of winning (Witts and Lyons, 2013). The maintaining of gambling through persistence being reinforced influences addiction. The current study set out to measure simulated gambling behavior with a video poker program in a laboratory setting. A program that allowed experimenters to manipulate win schedules and tracked information about the games played was used. The goal of this study was to examine persistence in play under different schedules of wins, to see if a relation between frequent win schedules and persistence can be predicted and influenced. If persistence is manipulable, this can further be used to develop a test rule-based education or intervention programs.

Schools have adopted various security measures to address school crime, such as the deployment of School Resource Officers (SROs). Critics argue that SROs contribute to a "school-to-prison pipeline" by implementing harsh legal responses to minor offenses, disproportionately affecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and disabled students. However, little is known about SROs in general, and data specific to Alaskan public schools have not been reported. One barrier to gathering information on Alaskan SROs is the absence of a measurement plan focused on variables reported federally and independently by other states. The purpose of this project is to use the extent literature to conceptualize a descriptive assessment designed to (1) identify where, with whom, and how SROs are used in Alaskan public schools; (2) compare the training methods and responsibilities of SROs in Alaskan public schools to current best-practice recommendations; (3) evaluate the influence of SROs on school crime and victimization in Alaska; and (4) evaluate the influence of SROs on administrator, teacher, caregiver, and student perceptions of the acceptability, effectiveness, and legitimacy of SROs in Alaskan public schools. Literature-informed recommendations for targets, definitions, data collection methods, reliability measures, and design will also be provided.

Universities in America are some of the most diverse areas in the country, offering ample opportunities for intercultural interaction. Positive cross-cultural interaction provides students with invaluable skill development and being culturally literate that will benefit them in school and their future career, but also benefit the building of a more inclusive society (Fozdar 2016). Relational Density Theory (RDT; Belisle & Dixon, 2020) may allow for modeling of relational perspectives of US college students towards international students from countries that frequently send students to study in the US. In the present study, participants completed a multidimensional scaling procedure relating individuals from those countries with positive and negative approachability characteristics. Participants then completed a willingness scale, rating their willingness to engage in interaction with individuals from each of the countries. Results showed strong preference to engage with other domestic students than international students. Amongst the countries that frequently send international students to the US, countries geographically close to the US rated higher on willingness and closest to positive approachability characteristics. Furthermore, countries that send the most international students to the US are amongst the lowest rated in terms of willingness and approachability. Results suggest higher density towards countries geographically located in North America, and higher density among countries located outside of North America. These findings show a good baseline for future research on relational networks involving intercultural interaction. Results also provide insight to how individuals relate different countries to positive and negative approachability characteristics, showing up potential risk groups amongst international students for non-interaction.

Most data on the prevalence and adverse consequences of college student drinking are from self-report surveys, which require respondents to be skilled at defining and identifying standard drinks. Unfortunately, reliability and validity of these data are questionable because college students are typically unable to do either with any accuracy. Some researchers (White et al., 2005) suggest we can improve self-reports and data validity by providing college students with feedback on the accuracy of their free-pours. However, evidence for this is limited because few researchers have evaluated the effects of feedback on observable behavior (e.g., free-pour) or used repeated measures, and nearly all studies report aggregate data. We replicated White et al. using a single-case design and repeated measures (N=12). Results showed feedback improved the accuracy of college students’ free-pours of standard servings of beer containing 5% alcohol by volume (ABV) but did not change their self-report. Additionally, aggregate data (means) did not accurately represent most individual data points; this has important implications regarding our understanding of college student drinking, assessments of interventions, and public health policy.

The Devereux Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (D-PBIS) model for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) was developed to promote a culture focusing staff on prevention, teaching, and acknowledgement in our residential programs. D-PBIS-IDD draws its theoretical foundations from applied behavior analysis, person-centered values, and trauma-informed care. Central to the model is the embedding of evidence-based practices across three tiers of support: universal, targeted, and intensive. Since the model was first developed and piloted in a Devereux Pennsylvania Center in 2013, the model has expanded to all of our programs with adults with IDD in six states serving over 1000 individuals with IDD in community-based homes. Data presented will be from the pilot Center which operates 75 residences serving 304 individuals. Because direct care staff provide universal interventions and supports, the model uses Behavior Skills Training (BST), a proven method of performance management for staff training. Training includes coaching, frequent integrity checks, and performance feedback by supervisors and clinicians. The BST model will be described and supported with corresponding implementation integrity data graphs. Additionally, graphs of key indicators of meaningful outcomes such as decreases in use of restraints and robust individual and staff satisfaction scores will be displayed.

As the demand for behavior analysts steadily rises, behavior analytic organizations face the challenges of their expanding size and complexity. This research explores the need for these organizations to incorporate assessments derived from Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) to enhance efficiency and sustain long-term viability. Despite the inclusion of OBM instruction in all ABAI Verified Course Sequences, a noticeable gap exists in the literature concerning the application of these assessments within behavior-analytic organizations. This study seeks to identify the barriers hindering BCBAs from implementing OBM best practices in service delivery. The research includes a succinct review of selected OBM assessments and outlines the methodology for developing a survey to comprehend the existing service delivery gaps. The survey results will be presented, shedding light on the current landscape of OBM utilization in behavior-analytic organizations. The findings will be discussed, providing practical considerations for those involved in service delivery, along with recommendations for enhancing training and competency. The research also outlines potential avenues for future exploration in this critical area. The study contributes valuable insights to the evolving field of behavior analysis, emphasizing the importance of integrating OBM assessments for optimal organizational efficiency and sustained growth.

Despite the growing need for applied behavior analysis (ABA) in past years, the field has experienced persistent issues about the access and delivery of services to autistic communities. For example, high burnout, low job satisfaction, and low levels of workplace support for board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) have been associated with high turnover, an issue that can lead to reduced staffing and delivery of applied behavior analytic services. Regardless of the growing number of burnout studies associated with ABA, more research needs to be conducted about the barriers (or facilitators) arising in the field today. For instance, LeBlanc et al., (2019) assessed barriers to effective caseload management indicating that barriers to treatment were overcome by having a good understanding of funding constraints, awareness of contingencies for adequate performance, and effective time management. As such, the authors recommended that systems at the macro/institution level can help overcome these barriers (i.e., can act as facilitators to quality case management). Given the suggestion that macro changes could facilitate overcoming barriers in ABA along with the lack of research on facilitators of effective ABA strategies, the purpose of this paper was to determine the barriers and facilitators of ABA practices from the perspective of BCBAs, behavior technicians, and assistant board-certified behavior analysts through a survey. These issues included having participants identify issues that keep them from performing their jobs at the micro (e.g., personal), meso (e.g., infrastructural), and macro (e.g., systemic) factors that may facilitate positive work performance or inhibit quality or quantity of services. Descriptive data was summarized using percentages. Implications of descriptive data are discussed as they relate to the improvement of the delivery and staffing of ABA services.

Previous research has shown low treatment integrity can lead to decreased effectiveness and efficiency of skill acquisition during DTI (Carroll et al, 2013). Pantermuehl and Lechago (2015) found that during covert observations, treatment integrity ranged from 18.6 to 76% whereas during overt observations, integrity was as high as 100%. This shows reactivity continues to be an obstacle within DTI service delivery. It is important to investigate how reactivity affects staff performance and identify ways to increase and maintain high integrity. Finding a socially acceptable, effective, and efficient method to increase and maintain high levels of staff treatment integrity when no supervisor is present is critical in the clinic setting. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of video self-monitoring in increasing and maintaining high treatment integrity for staff implementing DTI during covert and overt observations. Participants included four staff working one-on-one with children with ASD implementing DTI with less than 90% integrity during covert or overt observations. Results show video self-monitoring was effective at increasing staff treatment integrity and maintaining high integrity over time.

While empirical evidence supports adequate treatment integrity levels as an imperative component of facilitating client progress, training failures are an ongoing and pervasive problem in behavior analysis. Despite its recognition as an empirically supported training package, behavioral skills training (BST) is not consistently implemented in behavior analytic settings due to the response effort and time commitment associated with its implementation. Recent research demonstrates that pyramidal BST, which employs a train-the-trainer model, may be an efficacious and less resource-intensive iteration of BST. However, findings indicate that pyramidal BST in isolation may not be effective when implemented across staff members without a formal education in a related field. The current research evaluated the effects of pyramidal BST with enhanced visual instructions (EVI) on treatment integrity across staff without relevant educational experience. Findings demonstrated that following BST provided by the primary researcher, participant trainers acquired the ability to implement a BST package with 100% fidelity across participant trainees. Training provided by participant trainers was effective in increasing treatment integrity levels across participant trainees in the acquisition of a backward chaining procedure. Findings suggest that pyramidal BST implemented in conjunction with EVI can effectively increase treatment integrity levels across staff with diverse educational backgrounds.

When skill acquisition goals in treatment plans are individualized and achievable, the client (service recipient), parents/caretakers, and other stakeholders can access reinforcement related to mastery of goals. Insurance companies that fund the services also expect reasonable levels of client progress. A baseline review of the treatment plans prepared by 4 Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) discovered that a low percentage (less than 80%) of goals were being mastered in each 6-month treatment period. Behavior Skills Training (BST) was conducted with the BCBAs to improve the preparation of individualized treatment plans so that 80% or more of the client's goals would likely be met within 6 months. Examples and non-examples were presented, and objective criteria were scored during BST. The BCBAs were provided practice opportunities with expert feedback until goal preparation skills were mastered. BST was also applied while reviewing each BCBA's treatment plans (e.g., goals not met, baseline, mastery criteria, data trend). Each BCBA was encouraged to self-score the criteria. During Baseline, the BCBAs met the criteria (enter 4 baseline data values here). Because client progress was a priority, a multiple-probe or baseline design was not employed. During BST, three BCBAs improved to 80-100% of the criteria and stayed at this level. One BCBA achieved this level in the second BST session. All BCBAs received 4-5 BST sessions. BST sessions were discontinued, and one maintenance check occurred. All BCBAs maintained their skills at 80-100% of the criteria.

Performance Management (PM) there a fundamental role in evaluating team performance, ensuring quality for the customer. This study aims to develop and evaluate the applicability of a PM system in an ABA service company. The supervisors evaluated the performance of the applicators, with more than three months of experience in the company. An internally prepared questionnaire was used, consisting of 59 questions distributed in nine areas: (1) therapist behavior in the presence of the child, (2) preparation of the learning environment, (3) organization of activities, (4) instructions for the client , (5) manage consequences, (6) prompt, (7) maximize progress (8) relationship, responsibility and professional behavior and (9) therapist behavior during supervision. Supervisors had 30 days to evaluate their teams after sending the questionnaire. Data analysis, carried out using inferential descriptive statistics, highlighted strengths such as superior performance in positive reinforcement (79%) and in relationships with families (88%). However, areas of deficit were identified, including partially predominant performance in differential reinforcement (50%), variety of teaching locations (42%), and frequency of supervision (33%). These conclusions suggest suggestions for continuous improvement in the practice of behavioraltherapists.

Study Objective: In rehabilitation, the fluency of the new compensatory behavior needs to be improved to acquire and use them practically. This study examined the effects of behavioral skills training and everyday practice on the improvement of behavioral fluency for chopstick manipulation with non-dominant hand in older adults. Participants: Twelve right-handed individuals (ages 71-86) without motor impairments participated in this study. Research Design: Pre-post comparative design was implemented. Independent Variables: The intervention consisted of behavioral skills training (instruction, modeling, rehearsal and feedback) and daily practice for actually eating at least one meal and moving plastic chips for 4 weeks using chopsticks with their left hand at home. Dependent Measures: The number of plastic chips moved between 2 bowls in a minute using chopsticks with the left hand, and Likert Scale Scores (1-10) concerning “difficulty” and “fatigue” were measured at pre- (Time1) and post (Time2, Time3) assessments. Standardized fine motor skills were also evaluated. Results: The number of chips moved significantly increased, while “difficulty” and “fatigue” decreased in Time3. The number of chips moved increased even when only participants over 80 years old were analyzed. The behavioral skills training and daily practice was effective for behavioral fluency in older adults.

We present a content validity analysis process intended to enhance the relevance and clarity of a research assent survey. We designed the survey to provide an overview of current research assent practices in children. The survey focused on: (1) types of research assent, (2) assent prerequisites skills, and (3) challenges associated with seeking assent. Survey development followed an iterative improvement process involving: (1) literature search and initial development, (2) group and stakeholder feedback, and (3) content validity analysis and final revisions. The content validity analysis included both qualitative and quantitative feedback from a purposely recruited expert panel with expertise in professional ethics in behavior analysis, psychometrics, and qualitative methods. The analysis revealed that the preliminary version of the survey had high relevance and clarity. Item format had a slight but significant impact on the perception of clarity (but not relevance), with ranking items of more than five options perceived as relatively lower in clarity. The survey is being deployed through the platform Qualtrics to an international pool of child researchers. The proposed process has the potential of improving survey validity in various applied behavior analysis contexts, including the assessment of ethical practices, intervention social validity, and staff satisfaction, among others.

Renewal is a phenomenon in which a previously extinguished behavior reemerges following a context change. When targeting the reduction of inappropriate mealtime behavior (e.g., turning away from food, pushing a utensil away) for children with feeding disorders, examples of context changes that may lead to renewal are changes to the meal setting or the feeder (Ibañez et al., 2019). Researchers have recently begun examining whether other changes to the meal (e.g., food type) evoke renewal, but findings are still unclear (Haney et al., 2021). In the current study, we conducted repeated context changes across different food types for two participants and across different liquid types for one participant during renewal tests. For participants one and two, renewal occurred, but only when the context change was a specific food group (i.e., vegetable or starch). For participant three, renewal did not occur across different liquid types. Therefore, the overall results were idiosyncratic. Interestingly, the two participants for whom renewal occurred also had an autism diagnosis, while the third participant did not. Future researchers should evaluate whether renewal is more likely to occur based on factors such as the child’s history with certain foods or drinks, overall rigidity with meals, or other characteristics related to an autism diagnosis.

Study Objective: It is important for older people to continue walking to maintain their physical and cardiopulmonary function. We developed a home-based step training program and evaluated its effectiveness on lower limb and cardiopulmonary function in older adults. Participants: Six older adults (ages 67-78 years old) participated. Research Design: The AB design with multiple measures was used. Methods: Training consisted of a 2.5 cm high obstacle to step over, and the participants were instructed to step forward and backward for 2 minutes and left and right for 2 minutes continuously every day at home. We first counted the step rhythm at which each participant could walk comfortably, and set the target criterion as 120% of the pre-determined step rhythm for home training. Results: After 4 weeks of training, older adults showed increases in knee extensor muscle strength, the number of steps participants could step over an obstacle per 30 seconds, and the 6-minute walk distance as a measure of cardiopulmonary function. Conclusions: This study suggests that a home-based step training, a collaboration of physical therapy and applied behavior analysis, promotes health and prevention of frailty in older adults.

Objective: Urinary symptoms inhibit activity and decrease quality of life. This study examined the effects of home-based strength training, feedback on voiding, and performance records on muscle strength, incontinence frequency, and health views of older adults with frailty and lower urinary tract referral symptoms. Participants: Three men (76-84 years old) and four women (75-88 years old) participated in the study. Study Design: A single-subject design was used. Intervention: A physiotherapist visited the participants' homes every two weeks to teach lower limb strength training and provide feedback on their urinary diaries and strength training performance records. Dependent variables: Lower limb muscle strength, incontinence frequency, and King's Health Questionnaire were measured. Results: Three months after the start of the intervention, five of the participants increased muscle strength, reduced incontinence frequency, and improved sense of well-being and activity. They showed participation including eating out with friends and relatives and resuming hobby activities. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions in the familiar home environment in improving not only physical function but also activity, participation, and quality of life in older adults with frailty. The study suggests the effectiveness of integrating physical therapy and applied behavior analysis for health promotion.

While there is a plethora of behavior analytic research in outpatient healthcare settings, there is limited research related to the utility of Behavior Analysts in an inpatient medical setting. The purpose of the current descriptive report is to better understand the patient populations that Board Certified Behavior Analysts are consulted to assess and treat in an in-patient children's hospital setting. The data included were compiled by recording patients with at least one inpatient hospital admission in the 2022 calendar year, and for whom there was at least one assessment, behavior plan, or data collection file in an internal computer drive. These data may better inform hospital hiring practices for behavior analysts, and future lines of research in this setting. Additionally, these data have potential to aid in dissemination of behavior analysis to medical and psychiatric providers within a hospital setting. Limitations include lack of documentation for consultations provided directly to medical teams, and for patients who received best practices strategies, or participate in a unit-wide token economy.

Alcohol use and exposure to suicide are both risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). However, pathways of how these risk factors influence STBs are not entirely clear. Within the contextualized reinforcer pathology model, reward valuation and access to different reinforcers (i.e., substances, social) can increase the likelihood of addiction and may influence the development of STBs. Reward valuation can be influenced by loss of social reinforcers (e.g., suicide/overdose death of a friend), which could then influence preference for substances such as alcohol, further constraining allocation to alcohol use and potentially increasing preference for immediate rewards and alcohol demand. Two crowdsourced samples (Amazon Mechanical Turk and Prolific) were assessed on behavioral economic measures (i.e., delay discounting, demand), exposure to death, alcohol and other substance use, and STBs. Alcohol use and discounting were positively related to the level of closeness of participants with suicide decedents, and generally more exposure to death increased alcohol and substance use. Furthermore, alcohol use severity and delay discounting were related to suicide risk in both samples. Taken together, death exposure can be an important factor in understanding both alcohol use and STBs, as well as how each might influence and be influenced by reward valuation.

Some individuals with severe challenging behaviors require restrictions to ensure the safety of the individual and others. A freedom of movement restriction can be used to prevent an individual from engaging in elopement, substance abuse, and other unsafe behaviors in the community. We evaluated a protocol to fade a freedom of movement restriction contingent on the absence of challenging behaviors exhibited by a 69-year-old male diagnosed with bipolar I disorder and alcohol use disorder in a residential facility. Bipolar disorder patients are more prone to violence, especially when correlated with substance abuse (Kammoun & Halouani, 2021). This individual's challenging behaviors include aggression, substance abuse, and elopement. The restriction removal protocol is meant to systematically remove restrictive procedures in the individual’s plan as he engages in more appropriate behaviors and less challenging behaviors. Specifically, as the individual engages in community engagement, the restrictions are faded to facilitate more independence. The process of getting the restrictions removed and relocating to alternative/less restrictive housing has been effective at decreasing challenging behaviors and increasing appropriate behaviors in the community.

In research, single-subject designs highlight the intricacies of individual experiences. However, this project offers an analysis of a phenomenon observed in publication – the inclination of some researchers to occasionally overstate their findings and extrapolate beyond the scope of single-subject research. This is referred to as hyper-claiming in the context of this project. We reviewed a decade's worth of data from the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, employing six expert raters to assess hyper-claiming in single-subject research. Each rater scored the final paragraph of each article screened on a scale of 0-2, in which 0 indicated no instances of hyper-claiming, a score of 1 indicated implied hyper-claiming, and a score of 2 indicated explicit hyper-claiming. Patterns that emerged illuminate reporting practices within the field, indicating mean scores across publication years from 4.0 to 6.9 (max 12). These findings highlight challenges researchers face when reporting outcomes of single-subject research. We delve into the inherent limitations of single-subject designs and consider the role that group design research may play in furthering the goals of the research community. This topic touches upon the heart of research ethics and practice, fostering a balanced approach in the pursuit of knowledge and dissemination

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is defined as a pervasive pattern of emotion dysregulation, impaired interpersonal relationships, impulsivity, and identity dysfunction. The controversial nature of this diagnostic label has prompted criticism for its perceived bias. This theoretical work conducts a thorough review of these critiques, presenting the diagnosis of BPD as a potential instance of institutional and health violence inflicted upon those diagnosed. The conceptual foundations of psychological and diagnostic theories that support this disorder were reviewed and the consequences that this social and scientific construction has had and still has for women and for society were obtained, and can even be understood as a case of cultural iatrogenesis. From a behavioral perspective, the analysis of this psychological disorder has to be related to the social context of inequality and abuse that is common to the learning history of most people labelled as BPD. The emphasis on emotional dysregulation and other symptoms erases the role of the environment and thus the contextual nature of BPD. The work encompasses a historical review of health violence, alongside a conceptual analysis based on behavioral analysis to delineate the specific repercussions of these diagnostic biases, particularly on women. Ultimately, the work suggests alternatives for addressing gender-related challenges, proposing psychological interventions from a feminist perspective and a radical behaviorist philosophy.

Successful performance with traditional matching-to-sample (MTS) tasks with multiple comparison stimuli requires several prerequisite skills, and these are foundational to learning new stimulus relations. An alternative approach to presenting MTS tasks, go/no-go successive matching-to-sample procedure (S-MTS), has been effective in establishing auditory-visual equivalence classes in typically developing adults (Zhelezoglo et al., 2021). Given the potential utility of these procedures for individuals with intellectual disabilities, further investigation is warranted. The current study, a direct replication of Zhelezoglo et al., was conducted with 5 typically developing participants, and the outcomes were consistent with the prior study. All participants completed a pretest for tacting, sorting, symmetry (BA/CA), and transitivity (BC/CB). Participants then underwent AB/AC baseline training and were subsequently tested on untrained performances. All participants passed symmetry and transitivity tests, as well as the sorting posttest, and 4 participants passed the tacting posttest. The findings of this study support the previous finding that S-MTS is an effective alternative to MTS for establishing auditory-visual equivalence classes.

Research on perspective-taking primarily centers on understanding others, with Relational Frame Theory formulating training for this cognitive process. Another concept integral to understanding others is empathy, and various examinations have explored the connection between perspective-taking and empathy. For instance, Organized Model of Empathy delves into the relationship between perspective-taking as cognition and empathy as emotion. However, the impact of Relational Frame Theory training on empathy and perspective-taking within the Organized Model of Empathy remains unexplored. Therefore, the present study investigates the influence of perspective-taking training in Relational Frame Theory on empathy and perspective-taking as outlined in Organized Model of Empathy. Forty-three participants completed questionnaires related to Organized Model of Empathy, responding both before and after receiving training. These questionnaires, based on the Organized Model of Empathy, employed subscales measuring perspective-taking as cognitive aspects and empathy as emotional aspects. Paired t-tests revealed significant differences in perspective-taking subscales, with scores increasing after receiving the training. Additionally, scores related to emotions towards others also exhibited significant increases. Based on these results, we discussed the relationship between Organized Model of Empathy and perspective-taking formulated in Relational Frame Theory, focusing on the difference between self and others.

This study verified if teaching listening operants based on selection, tact, and intraverbal via Multiple Exempla Instruction (MEI) allows for the emergence of intraverbal after teaching listening and tact with novel stimuli in two children who are deaf and hard of hearing with cochlear-implants (P1: 6yo, girl; P2: 7yo, boy) with no prior intraverbal repertoire. Teaching and testing structures consisted of discrete trials via the Magnolia® software: a) pretest of tact, intraverbal, and listening based on selection with three stimulus sets; b) teaching of listening and tact and test of intraverbal (set 1); c) MEI of tact, listening and intraverbal (set 2); d) teaching of listening and tact and test of intraverbal (set 1); e) teaching of listening and tact, and test of intraverbal (set 3); (f) posttest of tact, intraverbal, and listening based on selection. The design was multiple baselines between participants. At baseline, participants showed a varied performance of listening (below 67%) and tact (below 50%) and intraverbals stayed null regardless of how many tests were carried out before MEI. Performance in intraverbals during tests only increased for both participants after exposure to MEI. Percentage Nonoverlapping Data measures for P1 (100%, p=0,0052) and P2 (100%, p=0,0019) point to very effective interventions.

Individuals with autism have impaired social capabilities and communication with 30% of those diagnosed with autism never developing a vocal repertoire. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can allow for these individuals to communicate using all verbal operants. However, validated interventions are necessary for individuals to be able to communicate beyond wants and needs. Children in elementary school are often asked questions about their day by their parents, caregivers, and teachers. The answers to these questions often change from day to day making it a difficult skill to teach. The current study evaluated the effects of simultaneous prompting on increasing AAC communication in the form of individuals with autism answering questions (i.e., intraverbals) about their school days using a multiple probe design across stimuli. The question answers changed daily and were based on events that occurred throughout the student's school day (e.g., materials used, special activity). The results of the study provided support that the intervention was effective in increasing intraverbals for this population allowing participants to share personal day-to-day information. Some variations were made to the original procedure including additional teaching trials and the addition of a choice.

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties describing and labeling their private events (Hill et al., 2004; Nastri, 2019). Private events are responses that occur under the skin and are observable only by oneself (Skinner, 1953; Moore, 1980). Teaching how to describe private events, such as emotions, and to tact their controlling variables can improve the social skills, adaptive functioning, and quality of life of people with ASD (LeBlanc et al., 2003; Blair and Diamond, 2008; Van Heijst and Geurts, 2014). The present study, therefore, aims to teach an adolescent with ASD to: 1- tact his own emotions and environmental controlling variables during applied situations (e.g. tacting “I’m happy because I can use the Ipad”); 2- evaluate emerging responses in tacting other people’s emotions and environmental controlling variables during applied situations (e.g. “He is angry because the cafè is closed”). During the study we used a Concurrent Multiple Baseline Design across emotions to evaluate a teaching procedure comprised of prompting, fading and differential reinforcement, to teach 3 emotions contriving or capturing different applied situations for each and every trial. Each trial was composed by two dependent variables: tacting emotions and tacting environmental controlling variables. The participant acquired correct responses for both the dependent variables for the 3 emotions and this teaching produced emerging responses in tacting other people’s emotions. Both skills were maintained during follow up probes.

Aphasia and Apraxia of Speech (AOS) are neurogenic disorders primarily caused by stroke; AOS rarely occurs alone and is typically paired with aphasia (Wambaugh et al., 2014; Duffy, 2013). Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that can affect one’s ability to speak, read, write, and understand language. AOS is characterised by a slower rate of speech, difficulties in sound production, and disruptions in prosody.The combination of aphasia and AOS can significantly disrupt one’s ability to communicate. As aphasia and AOS often co-occur, designing an intervention that addresses both the speech and language deficits is critical to effective and efficient therapy. In language therapy, loose training is often utilized where there is not a rigid set of answers but rather the person with aphasia is encouraged to generate their own responses while the clinician’s role is to confirm attempts and shape the response. One approach for AOS is speech production therapy (SPT) whereby when the person with AOS emits a speech error, the clinician completes a prescribed set of steps in a specific order to coach the individual to improve their production. SPT remains one of the most investigated treatments for AOS and involves modeling, repetition, orthographic and verbal cueing, and following a treatment hierarchy (Wambaugh, Kallhoff, & Nesslera, 2021). Purpose: The current assessment was created to evaluate a novel assessment of prompts described in the SPT procedure to create an individualized therapeutic approach that combines both language and speech therapy techniques for individuals who have both aphasia and AOS.

In this study, we are examining the effects of using an auditory stimulus cue, after pairing the auditory sound with a preferred stimulus, to increase imitative vocalizations made by a 6-year-old participant with autism who exhibits zero vocal words and no echoic repertoire; however, has exhibited varied vocalization sounds. Baseline sessions consisted of 10-minute sessions, with no auditory feedback. Next, a stimulus preference assessment was conducted, and the highest rated preferred stimulus was paired to an auditory cue (i.e., click sound). During 10-minute intervention sessions, when a vocalization made by the participant, the experimenter will immediately pinpoint the target sound by delivering the auditory cue. After the participant meets specified criteria (example: 0.5 vocalizations per minute or 60% of opportunities), the next vocalization will move out of baseline. Results thus far have shown slow acquisition. The poster will discuss possible variables to evaluate next if results continue in this fashion. An upcoming change to this study will be a change in criteria to move to the next vocalizations for further evaluation of variables, and/or the addition of an operant response phase to access the reinforcer and/or manipulation of motivating operations.

This poster will describe a multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach to an early intervention service delivery program titled, PM-Ready. The present model utilizes evidence-based interventions in the field of developmental therapy and applied behavioral analysis to teach social and communication skills to children with identified developmental delays in group setting. This is a novel approach for early intervention services in the urban metropolitan area of Memphis, Tennessee using a Naturalistic developmental behavior intervention (NDBI) model. The purpose of this poster presentation will be to demonstrate how a collaborative early intervention program was created to improve the well-being of children and their families in underserved communities by improving language and developmental milestone acquisition to achieve preschool readiness. We will highlight how we infused multiple disciplines, included families, and tracked developmental progress using naturalistic behavior interventions in a small, modified classroom setting to create socially valid change. The final objective of the presentation will be to provide steps needed to replicate this model, discuss the need to collect qualitative and quantitative data to measure the impact, and to discuss future research ideas. This poster will contribute to the work of others in the Naturalistic Developmental Behavior special interest group (SIG) at ABAI.

An individual diagnosed with Encephalitis and Other unspecified disruptive disorder was referred to an outpatient clinic for the assessment and treatment of aggressive, disruptive, and self-injurious behaviors. The clinical team conducted assessments prior to any treatment, including a Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment and a Functional Behavior Assessment to identify the function of her problem behavior. Results of the functional analysis determined a mand compliance function. Following the assessments, the clinical team moved to Functional Communication Training to teach an alternative response while placing the above problem behavior on extinction. Although progress was made during treatment, the patient’s behavior occurred at a high intensity level and an interdisciplinary approach was taken to address symptoms associated with encephalitis (i.e., self-injury, aggression, and property destruction) and the patient was admitted for an in-patient administration of plasmapheresis (PLEX). Following PLEX, the client returned for behavioral treatment. More significant progress was observed during functional communication training and the intensity of problem behavior decreased. This case study highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the assessment and treatment of problem behavior and influence on biological variables on problem behavior.

A Systematic Review of Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior Implemented with Fidelity Errors Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) is an evidence-based treatment that typically involves reinforcing alternative behavior and withholding or degrading reinforcers following challenging behavior. DRA results in increased alternative behavior and decreased challenging behavior when it is implemented as designed (i.e., with high procedural fidelity). Outside of research contexts, DRA is likely implemented with fidelity errors. To identify if DRA is still a robust treatment with these errors occurring, we conducted a systematic review of articles that manipulated levels of DRA fidelity. We identified seven translational and applied articles that included a comparison of full-fidelity to at least one level of reduced-fidelity DRA. Across applied and translational articles, DRA was less effective at increasing alternative behavior and suppressing challenging behavior when fidelity errors occur. However, there are nuances related to error type and programmed DRA intervention that are discussed. Considerations for researchers and practitioners using DRA are summarized.

Research has linked effective social skills with positive developmental outcomes, increased mental health, self-determination, successful employment, and overall quality of life. Yet, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities often experience deficits in social communication skills, limiting opportunities to socialize, establish and maintain friendships, which increase the risk of social isolation. The use of behavior analytic and educational interventions has demonstrated to be effective methods in teaching various social skills to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Recently, there has been an increase in the utilization of telehealth to deliver such interventions as it allows for increased accessibility to services, while decreasing the time and cost related to service delivery. The purpose of this review was to synthesize the literature regarding the use of telehealth in social skills training for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Articles identified via a systematic search of the literature are summarized according to (a) participant characteristics, (b) social skills targeted, and (c) intervention characteristics. In addition, the included studies are analyzed according to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC; 2022) Single Case Research Design Standards. Results will be further analyzed and discussed.

Behavioral skills training (BST) typically includes a combination of instructions, modeling, rehearsal, praise, and corrective feedback (Miltenberger, 2016). BST has been used to teach a variety of behaviors, such as social, safety, and working skills. Wacker and colleagues (Wacker et al. 1998; Berg et al. 2004; Gerow et al., 2021) reported that behavioral procedures can be adapted and used effectively by parents when on-site coaching is made available under the guidance of a behavior analysts. This may result in increasing new skills in the participants repertoire, as well as in a reducing challenging behavior. In this study a behavior analyst use BST and written instructions to coach parents of a young autistic woman with intellectual disabilty on how to interact effectively with their child. A brief functional analysis with an extended no-interaction condition (Slanzi et al. 2021) revealed attention as the main function of the challenging behaviors. Therefore, parents were trained on how to maximize reinforcement for appropriate attention requests, minimize the attention on the occurrence of challenging behaviors and increase the ammount of engagement during leisure activities. The treatment was implemented in a residential center for young adults with disabilities located in a care services of Bologna. Coaching from the behavior analyst was progressively faded. Results shows that the amount of challenging behavior of the young woman decreases as the result of the correct implementation of the behavioral procedures by caregivers, also when BST was gradually faded.

In this case study reflecting applied practice with a day student, the effects of a concurrent schedule of reinforcement on challenging behaviors maintained primarily by escape was evaluated. A functional communication response for break, “all done”, was available during programming. When the student made either a prompted or an independent response to be “all done” with a task demand, a sterile break was provided at their desk. This condition allowed for a break from the task demand until the student demonstrated a ready response (e.g., closed hands, stating “ready”, stating “yes/no”, or pointing to a “yes/no” board) to indicate they were ready to resume the task. When the task was completed, the student was provided access to positive reinforcement. All mands for escape informed future programming and modification to a multi-element behavior support plan. The results demonstrated increased independent functional communication and decreased rates of challenging behavior and restraints. Importantly, reading, a behavior cusp skill, increased.

Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay, is the most chronic infectious disease in childhood, causing immediate and long-term decreases in children’s quality of life (Çolak et al., 2013). Globally, dental caries is responsible for approximately 60% to 90% of cavities among children, and almost 100% of cavities in adulthood (Canadian Dental Association, 2017). Given the widespread prevalence of dental caries across the lifespan, the American Dental Association (2023) recommends decreasing sugar and high-acid food intake and regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste to increase or maintain oral health. However, noncompliance with dental routines is a commonly reported problem, especially amongst children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD; Kupzyk & Allen, 2019). This is particularly concerning given that children with IDD are also at an increased risk of acquiring dental disease and experiencing unmet dental needs relative to their typically developing counterparts (Abraham et al., 2018). The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the updated results of a scoping review of behavior management strategies to treat dental fear, anxiety, and noncompliance of children with IDD during regular dental checkups. Results will be discussed within the context of practical implications and suggestions for future research.

Behavioral Skills Training is an effective approach to training a variety of skills across multiple contexts. (Slane & Lieberman-Betz, 2021). However, this approach typically relies on in-person and synchronous training, which can be limiting due to a shortage of qualified trainers and the vast need for services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Research has shown that video modeling can effectively teach skills to individuals without the need for trained individuals and can be experienced asynchronously. Weldy et al. (2014) demonstrated an efficient and effective training approach using video modeling to teach adults to conduct a stimulus preference assessment. The current study aims to replicate and extend Weldy et al. by improving content accessibility and evaluating social acceptability. We used a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the effectiveness of a video model training on conducting a free operant preference assessment. Participants demonstrated an increase in skills after the training.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) poses a significant obstacle to achieving effective school inclusion, prompting a focused exploration into the literacy processes of individuals within this population. This investigation delved into Brazilian empirical research spanning the years 2008 to 2022, utilizing the Brazilian CAPES Dissertations and Theses Database as the primary source, through a bibliometric literature review. We found 25 studies meeting inclusion criteria, predominantly authored by psychologists, with UFSCar emerging as a notable contributor, as an institution. Despite the existing concentration, a positive trajectory is discernible in the trend curve, indicating a recent upsurge in research endeavors. This trend offers promise for the future development of educational technologies and strategies rooted in scientific research. By expanding the knowledge base on the literacy experiences of individuals with ASD, these findings contribute to a more informed and targeted approach in fostering inclusive educational environments, highlighting the potential for transformative advancements in teaching methodologies.