Association for Behavior Analysis International

Functional communication training is a widely used treatment for challenging behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As more students with ASD are being served in educational settings, it is essential to understand and evaluate the evidence base of FCT in educational contexts. Fortunately, the number of systematic reviews of FCT has increased in recent years. Research is now needed to synthesize these findings to inform future research and evaluate the evidence base for this practice as a whole. This evaluation should focus on how FCT has been applied in educational contexts, under what conditions, for whom and by whom, and with what outcomes. This mega-review synthesized five reviews of FCT for children with ASD in educational settings. Data on participant characteristics, educational setting variables, FCT components and implementation, and outcomes and conclusions from each review are synthesized and discussed. Methodological rigor of each review was evaluated using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews Revised (AMSTAR 2). This is the first mega-review to evaluate FCT in educational settings for children with ASD. The state of evidence for FCT in educational settings will be presented with implications for research and practice will be presented.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of behavioral intervention package of an adult with autism and severe behavioral problems. The subject of this study was an autistic adult with low verbal ability, and displayed a high rate of self-injury (i.e., slapping his face, scratching neck, bumping head), hitting others and destroying objects during his high school period. After being referred to the behavioral training center of university in central Taiwan, the functional behavioral assessment was conducted and the behavioral intervention strategies were developed based on the underlying function, including the adjustment of antecedent stimulus, teaching functional equivalence behaviors to replace problem behaviors, combining with mand training for establish his communication ability. A variety of activities were trained to help the adult to regulate his high arousal emotion. The activities included folding paper, throwing ball, throwing sandbags, poking fun, pinching a ball, drumming, etc. The results showed improvement in reduction of problem behaviors and positive increases of adaptive behaviors. The findings of the study support the need of functional behavioral assessment (including functional analysis) prior to intervention, and the behavioral intervention package did show positive improvement and highly beneficial to the subjects. The social validity data also displayed favor outcome for this research.

Reddit, the sixth most used internet site in the world, is a public anonymous user-generated social media discussion platform. The present data exploration sought to use machine learning methodology to define and identify converging and diverging patterns and insights into autism-related discussions on Reddit across three different categories of subreddits: individuals who self-identify as being on the autism spectrum, parents of individuals on the autism spectrum, and behavior therapists. Using the R package RedditExtractoR (Rivera, 2022), we extracted comments from these communities. We trimmed our data set to only consider the past five years (i.e., 2017-2022). Next, basic preprocessing (i.e., removing stopwords, numbers, html tags, and bot account comments) and advanced preprocessing (i.e., lemmatization), were initialized. Our extraction resulted in 57 subreddits and 46,914 comments from autism spectrum subreddit members, 46 subreddits and 27,838 comments from parent subreddit members, and six subreddits with 3,163 comments from behavior therapist subreddit members. Analyses revealed some overlap, but mostly differences, between these three subreddit community categories. Further analysis of these discussions has the ability to highlight areas of overlap and dissonance, with regard to both content and sentiment, across these communities on the topic of autism, which may identify avenues for future exploration of targeted research questions.

Objective: Discriminative learning in operant conditioning is the process which changing neural activity and behavior to gain reinforcement under discriminative stimulus. However, time courses of changes in neural oscillations and behaviors with discriminative operant conditioning remain controversial. Therefore, we aimed to quantitatively identify time course of changes in neural oscillations and behaviors during discriminative operant conditioning in the context of behavioral and neural relationship. Methods: One healthy young adult participated in our single-case study. Each trial began with one of two beeps including high and low tones for 500 ms. The participant was instructed to press a button as quickly as possible in response to low tone beep. After the button press, “Correct” or “Incorrect” was presented for 1.5 s as feedback. Dependent neural and behavioral variables were electroencephalography, reaction time, and omission and commission errors. Results: The inhibition of theta oscillations at F4 of the 10–20 International System reflecting frontal gyrus right before button press and no-button press decreased with discriminative operant conditioning, indicating disinhibition. Additionally, the amplitude of theta oscillations at F4 before button press was higher than no-button press. Conclusion: These results imply that theta oscillation specifically changes during Go/No-Go procedure in discriminative leaning.

Objective: We hypothesized that if brain stimulation affects operant behavior, then rhythmic brain stimulation should entrain the behavioral rhythm. We examined how modulatory effects occur when pairing operant behavior with brain stimulation. This would lead to effective rehabilitation method. Methods: One healthy young and one healthy older adult participated in our study with AB design. The participants wore the virtual-reality device and were instructed to perform rhythmic elbow flexion and extension in accordance with the dynamic virtual target hand in virtual reality. In baseline condition, the participant perform rhythmic elbow flexion and extension without brain stimulation. In intervention phase, the alternating current stimulation was delivered to the cerebellum at a frequency of 0.5 Hz with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 2 mA during rhythmic behaviors. This study was approved by IRB, and the stimulation was within safety range confirmed by previous studies. Results: For both young and older adults, 0.5 Hz-behavioral oscillations were decreased during baseline phase, whereas 0.5 Hz-behavioral oscillations were recovered in intervention phase. Conclusion: These results imply that rhythmic brain stimulation can enhance the behavioral rhythm in the context of pairing brain stimulation with operant behavior.

Objective: The respondent conditioning associated with other person’s negative facial expressions including angry and disgust can cause anxiety and nervous responses. However, it is still difficult to objectively actualize the anxiety and nervous responses. If precursor of anxiety and nervous responses reflecting other person’s negative facial expressions is actualized, this knowledge could help patients and clinicians improving positive behaviors. We therefore investigated a precursor of anxiety and nervous responses reflecting other person’s negative facial expressions in the context of behavioral and neural relationship. Methods: One healthy young adult participated in our study. Each trial began with a cue (blue fixation cross), followed by one of tree facial-expression pictures including neutral, angry and disgust expressions for 2 s: each 50 trials contained neutral, angry, or disgust. Dependent neural and behavioral variables were electroencephalography (EEG) and anxiety and nervous scores. Results: The coherences between occipital and frontal brain oscillations for other person’s angry and disgust facial expressions were higher than that for other person’s neutral facial expression. Conclusion: These results imply that the electroencephalography can be a precursor of anxiety and nervous responses reflecting other person’s negative facial expressions as the basic mechanism of respondent conditioning.

Buprenorphine is an FDA-approved medication for opioid use disorder that can reduce opioid use and risk of overdose, but many individuals who could benefit from buprenorphine treatment discontinue treatment, divert buprenorphine for illicit use, or continue to use illicit opioids during buprenorphine treatment. The present research evaluated the effectiveness of two incentive-based interventions in promoting adherence to office-based buprenorphine treatment and reducing illicit opioid use among adults with opioid use disorder. Participants (N=375) were randomly assigned to three groups that received (a) standard care, (b) daily incentives for adhering to buprenorphine, or (c) daily incentives for adhering to buprenorphine and being abstinent from opiates. Daily buprenorphine adherence and opiate abstinence were monitored using a commercially available video directly observed therapy platform and incentives were delivered remotely using that platform. Participants in all groups completed assessments every month during the 3-month study period and every 3 months during a 9-month follow-up period. We are in the process of analyzing individual results and group differences in several outcomes including buprenorphine adherence, opiate abstinence, buprenorphine diversion, overdose risk, patient treatment satisfaction, and post-intervention effects. Results of our analyses will be discussed, as will implications for practice and future clinical research.

Applied Behaviour Analysis is most recognized in its application to children with autism. However, ABA provides behavioural supports to several other populations. Behaviour Analysts are tasked with building capacity, providing education, and championing advocacy efforts with populations who would benefit accessing much needed behavioural interventions. With the number of Board-Certified Behaviour Analysts seeing a 7,317% increase from 2001-2021, the duty lies within the growing profession to ensure that the application of the science of behaviour analysis is effectively disseminated, particularly amongst gerontological populations. A literature review was conducted to determine the current presence, gaps, and needs when considering the practice of behaviour analysis within gerontological supports, specifically amongst seniors with dementia. Behaviour analysis is scarcely present within this realm of support, with much literature and research indicating that gaps can continue to be filled with the growing practice of the science. Behaviour analysts can contribute to the holistic, person-centred approach to care when supporting seniors with a diagnosis of dementia. Through this literature review, current applications were examined, along with considerations around the presence of other allied clinicians within gerontological supports to determine how behaviour analysts can continue to be recognized as crucial members of this network of support.

Empirical literature is the basis for providing information to the population about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics. Recently, behavior analytic journals have seen more calls to action for additional experimental studies addressing DEI in practice (Conine et al., 2021). The present study is a systematic Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) scoping review to identify DEI literature in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and Behavior and Social Issues. The current study identifies common terms that populate DEI literature, evaluates existing experimental DEI studies using What Works Clearinghouse Criteria (WWC), and delivers recommendations for what is needed to further DEI literature in behavior analysis. Preliminary results have identified overlapping technical Applied Behavior Analysis terminology with DEI terms and few experimental studies evaluating methods of increasing DEI in practice. Revising and clarifying terms can facilitate both research and dissemination of DEI studies. The authors will propose guidelines for selecting and using terminology for clear and precise communication of DEI versus other Applied Behavior Analysis topics.

Overweight and obesity are health issues that have been a topic of both basic and applied research for over 50 years. There are a multitude of health conditions that are affected by the health choices. Unfortunately, millions of people across the world still make unhealthy choices, particularly when considering food choices. The industry for weight loss is astronomically large, yet overweight and obesity rates continue to rise despite the countless programs that promise results. Standard behavioral treatment for weight loss includes reduced caloric intake, increased physical exercise, and training in behavioral strategies. The types of behavior strategies used in research have included self-monitoring, cognitive restructuring, stimulus control, and goal setting, to name a few. Although a significant amount of research has been conducted to evaluate weight loss, the behavior strategies used to achieve weight loss goals are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of self-monitoring and virtual social interaction on weight loss and improved health outcomes.

Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders (ASD/NDD) are prone to challenging behavior that can escalate into behavioral crises potentially requiring the involvement of first responders to deescalate the situation. Research indicates that 20% of individuals with ASD/DD have an encounter with police officers by their late 20s as compared to 10.8% of similarly aged neurotypical individuals. Families of individuals with ASD/DD who engage in challenging behavior already experience numerous burdens, consequently these families need to be able to rely on emergency services when needed. In study 1, we examined whether caregivers reported differential use of first responder services based on their child’s demographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, etc.). In study 2, we conducted a thematic analysis of outputs from focus groups conducted with caregivers who sought assistance with managing their child’s behaviors during a crisis and also conducted interviews with first responders whom had a history of responding to a family with a child with ASD/DD. We will present study findings, discuss clinical implications, and present areas of future research.

Children with intellectual disabilities can display deficits in intellectual functioning (e.g., academics, problem solving), adaptive functioning (e.g., social skills, communication), and emotional regulation (Ting & Weiss, 2017). Although displayed differently across children, those with intellectual disabilities may communicate by engaging in challenging behavior or may display behaviors more indicative of a mental health diagnosis (e.g., anxiety, depression) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These deficits can significantly affect both the child and family’s quality of life and overall well-being (Gadow, DeVincent, & Scheider, 2008). To support the child and their family, developing co-regulation skills is imperative. The purpose of this case study was to compare the use of extinction with differential reinforcement to the teaching strategy known as “Cool Versus Not Cool” to see its effects on the frequency of aggression. The results of this study showed aggression decreased in intensity and remained decreased across increased number of days with the addition of the “Cool Versus Not Cool” procedure compared to the use of extinction with differential reinforcement. This study demonstrated the need to take an interdisciplinary approach when developing or implementing behavior support plans.

Behaviour support plans (BSPs) provide intervention details within an objective structure. The rationale for a BSP may be well understood; however, quality evaluation is less established and limited in terms of standardized or validated measures. The Behaviour Intervention Plan Quality Evaluation, Version II (BIP-QEII; Browning et al., 2013) is one measure used within the Australian context. The BIP-QEII offers a broad determination of BSP quality according to requirements of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) but omits some features of a nonlinear, multielement framework. The current study presents an evaluation of BSPs (n = 265) using the BIP-QEII from a NDIS-registered positive behaviour support organisation. As an organisational practice, BSPs are submitted for scoring; then feedback is provided for required edits. Results show an average score of 17/24, with a majority of BSPs meeting criertia for “good” or “superior” plans (n = 145). Additionally, results suggest improvements in measure domains that better support multielement, progressive and contextual behavioural intervention. Results of the BIP-QEII evaluation and proposed edits for a BSP measure will be discussed. Enhanced evaluation of BSPs using a multielement framework could improve service delivery of behaviour support across settings and contexts with universal, best practice consumer considerations.

Children with developmental disabilities often mouth nonedible items; this is problematic as it can increase risk for illness or ingestion. Function-based assessments and intervention are considered to be the gold standard method to treat this type of problem behavior (Dunlap & Fox, 2011); this includes the implementation of a functional analysis to identify the maintaining consequences of problem behavior and then developing an effective intervention based on those results (Ledford et al., 2018). Differential reinforcement of discarding nonedible items has proven effective in decreasing pica (Schmidt et al., 2017); however, it is unknown whether this intervention would be similarly effective for decreasing mouthing. Therefore, the current study sought to extend research on discarding of unsafe items with a child with a history of severe mouthing that had resulted in ingestion of cloth material. A functional analysis was conducted to identify the variables maintaining mouthing, results of which suggested it was maintained by automatic reinforcement. He was then taught a clean-up response to appropriately put away unsafe mouthing items when he was alone, and competing stimuli were available to compete with mouthing. Results showed these procedures to be an effective intervention in reducing mouthing.

Punishment, the contingent addition or removal of a stimulus which decelerates a target behavior(s), is pervasive within society. Although punishment is pervasive, limited research has been conducted on how it is used within clinical applications of behavior analysis. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a systematic literature review of punishment. We searched ERIC and PSYCINFO using the search terms “punisher” and “punishment”. We then narrowed down the sample to articles that were published in behavior-analytic friendly journals. For our final analysis, we included articles which demonstrated applications of punishment with human participants targeting socially significant behaviors. We analyzed data on multiple variables such as participant demographics, specific punishment procedures, the information surrounding their usage, and their findings. Additionally, we collected data focused on ethical and best practice considerations related to punishment, such as concurrent implementation of extinction and reinforcement interventions. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the leading cause of motor impairment in children. Problem behaviors, including disruption, aggression and stereotypy are commonly observed in children diagnosed with CP. Applied research aimed to reduce or eliminate problem behaviors in this population is scarce. This study describes the assessment and treatment of problem behaviors for three children with CP. For one participant, the targeted behaviors were scratching and biting, which were maintained by access to tangibles and escape from physical contact. A functional communication training (FCT) procedure was effective to eliminate problem behaviors and to establish an alternate response. For the second participant, a FCT procedure was effective to eliminate spitting, which was maintained by peer and teacher attention. For the third participant, the targeted behavior was hand mouthing, which was maintained by automatic reinforcement. A response interruption and redirection (RIRD) procedure resulted in low levels of hand mouthing when compared to baseline. Results show the generality of the FCT and RIRD procedures to decrease problem behaviors in children with CP. The results will be discussed in terms of the positive impact that behavioral interventions had for the children, their families and care providers.

For adults with diagnoses that require attendance in a day program (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, brain injury), participation in physical activity can have several benefits including increasing social skills, on-task behavior, and reducing maladaptive behaviors (e.g., Elliot et al., 1994; Kunzi, 2015). There are several studies evaluating procedures for increasing engagement in physical activities for children; however, few studies have assessed these procedures with adults (Eun-Young et al., 2021). Strategies for increasing engagement in physical activity for this population are warranted. The purpose of this study was to compare engagement during video-based yoga, a physical activity involving several body movements, across two different presentation modalities (i.e., virtual reality (VR) and television screen). Participants included four adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or brain injury. Utilizing an alternating treatment design, we measured engagement in yoga across both presentation modalities. Results indicate that all participants consistently engaged in the yoga activity during more intervals when yoga was presented using VR compared to a television screen.

Preference assessments are often used by clinicians to identify potential reinforcers for behavioral interventions. However, some stimuli may be particularly difficult to assess due to their unique properties. For example, clinicians may find it difficult to assess forms of attention as they cannot be easily arranged into common preference assessment modalities, such as paired stimulus or multiple stimulus assessments. We used a concurrent operant arrangement to evaluate various forms of attention that could function as a reinforcer for an autistic child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who exhibited severe aggression. Eight forms of attention were assessed based on anecdotal reports and direct observations. The forms of attention assessed were reprimands, praise, ignore, item removal, immediate physical guidance, two-step prompting, physical attention, and play. The session room was divided into three sections. Theses sections included a neutral zone where no attention was delivered and two zones where different forms of attention were assessed. Through the concurrent operant arrangement, we found the most preferred forms of attention were item removal, play, and immediate physical guidance. We observed the lowest levels of aggression with item removal, play, and praise. Our findings support the use of concurrent operant arrangements to assess preferred forms of attention.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate a effect of behavioral consultation aimed at staff training and behavioral support was conducted with kindergarten teachers at six private kindergartens. Eleven teachers were included in the study (aged 27-53 years, mean length of service 11.2 years). A total of 24 children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND-Child) were in the teachers' charge. Consultations were provided via telehealth technology. The frequency was once every three months for four hours. The independent variable, consultation, consisted of three parts: 1) analysis of the ND-Child's behavior, 2) evaluation of the teachers' support skills, and 3) advice on how to behavioral support to the ND-Child. The dependent variables were A) the content of the functional analysis in the interviews about child-teacher contingency, II) Kindergarten teacher stress index and III) the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition(Vineland-II) scores of each ND-Child. Results showed that the teachers' functional analysis improved after three consultations using tele-health. In addition, the scores of Kindergarten Teacher Stress Index improved. Furthermore, each ND-Child's score on the Vineland-II (Communication domain and Socialization domain) improved significantly. These results suggest that tele-health consultations may improve teachers' support skills.

Choice has been shown as affective in increasing work, and a preference for choice conditions has been consistently shown across animals, children, and adults. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate how providing a choice effected physical activity for elementary-aged children. In this study, the opportunity to choose a physical activity was explored with a small group of neuro-typical children. In the child choice condition, each child was able to vote for a particular activity and the activity with the highest frequency was chosen during this session. During the coach choice condition, the children’s coach selected the activity, these sessions were yoked to the second highest preferred from the previous session. Physical activity was defined as the number of steps completed which was measured through a Fitbit that each child wore, and momentary-time-sampling to measure engagement. The purpose of this study was to measure steps taken and calories expended in both conditions utilizing a randomized alternating treatment design.

Functional communication training (FCT) involves introducing reinforcements for appropriate or desired communicative responses in lieu of existing challenging behavior(s). Identified as an evidence-based practice, FCT can be applied across multiple populations of students (e.g., autism, intellectual disabilities). Despite the laudable successes and extensive research support, FCT can be impractical or ineffective in schools, clinics or home settings if utilized with students who are from culturally, linguistically, or economically diverse backgrounds, and these cultural considerations are not included through all intervention stages. There is an identified need to develop an awareness and provide culturally responsive practices across the field of education. Participants will learn the impact of culture on behaviors in the home, school, and clinical settings, including implications for the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts. We present ethical obligations for culturally responsive practices, as well as framework, strategies and four detailed steps for implementing culturally responsive functional communication training when addressing challenging behaviors.

Students often complain about the amount of time it takes to do all the assigned tasks in different academic areas, both in high school and college. Increasing the amount of time spent studying, what is usually called "concentration," could help students make studying more efficient and effective. Self-management has been shown to be a useful approach to improving on-task behavior and, consequently, academic engagement of students with disabilities. This procedure involves teaching the individual various behaviors, such as self-assessment, self-correction, goal-setting, self-registration, and self-monitoring. There is a gap in the literature investigating the usefulness of self-monitoring for adolescents and adults in the typical population. In this study, a self-management procedure is applied to help a college student increase on-task behavior while studying. A changing criteria design was used to assess internal validity. The total study time increased from an average of 10 minutes to 190 minutes.

The purpose of this study was to compare the differential effects of mobile assistive technology (AT) loaded with visual activity schedules (VAS; pictures alone) compared to video activity schedules (VidAS; pictures linked to video models) to promote vocational independence and decreased reliance on adult supports for adolescents and adults with intellectual disability, with and without autism. Seven single-case multitreatment designs were used to assess differential effects between the two interventions when participants completed various vocational tasks. All participants were able to perform some of the task steps independently with both VAS and VidAS but demonstrated a greater increase in independence with self-instruction using VidAS than when only given VAS. Results suggest that incorporating VidAS into mobile AT can increase independence while decreasing reliance on additional adult support, suggesting that this could be a reasonable accommodation in school, work, and community settings.

This poster presents the result of a behavioral intervention aimed at improving reading and writing skills in students at a public school in Brazil. Thirty elementary school students (3rd to 5th grade) were exposed to the teaching procedures. The intervention used two of the four programmed units of a computerized teaching program previously developed by de Souza et al. (2009). These two units taught 27 of the 51 stimulus-stimulus relations from the complete program. The main tasks were conditional discrimination trials aimed to establish conditional relations between dictated words, pictures, and printed words. Furthermore, some trials were designed to establish conditional relations between written and dictated syllables. Two tasks, not directly taught, were used to assess the students’ repertoire, using a pre-test x post-test format: a) textual behavior and b) writing under dictation (Constructed Response Matching-to-Sample). The tests presented the words used in training plus a sample of novel words (to assess recombinative generalization). The comparison of the average percentage of correct responses in pre and post-test for each grade indicates an improvement in the reading and writing skills. Applications on a larger scale are recommended.

Functional communication training (FCT) is a well-established, evidence-based practice used to address challenging behavior among individuals across settings, ages, and disability categories. However, the research is limited on the implementation of FCT in inclusive school settings for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The purpose of this review was to summarize FCT intervention studies implemented in inclusive K-12 school settings for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We synthesized studies to summarize study characteristics, quality, and intervention effectiveness. Our findings suggest that FCT was most often implemented as part of a multi-component intervention package and delivered by educational team members. Further, the quality of most studies was either acceptable or strong. The overall effect size estimate for primary dependent measures as measured by Tau-U ranged from moderate to strong. We present implications for practice specific to educational teams that support the behavioral needs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in inclusive settings and offer avenues for future research.

Gamification of education continues to experience a growth in applications and use. In the field of Behavior Analysis, gamification, specifically video gamification, of behavior analytic interventions remains an understudied but auspicious area of growth. Morford et al. (2014) outlined the intersection between behavior analysis and game design, noting the use of behavior analytic principles that appear in game design and operationally defining characteristics of game-playing. In addition, they provided a call to action wherein behavior analysts should study and pursue avenues of integrating behavior analysis into game design. The purpose of this poster is to demonstrate early stages of introducing simple behavioral interventions to change behavior into video games. Creation of games has come from a partnership of a service providing agency, StepOne Neurodiversity Services, and an established transformational game production company, Simcoach Games. This poster describes the efforts of the behavior analyst to disseminate applied behavior analysis to the Simcoach Games team and working with game design experts to produce prototype video games to be deployed as tools in a clinic and special education setting. In addition, future research on these video games in vivo settings is described.

Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is rooted in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) principles and is an evidenced-based teaching strategy to enhance staff training and staff development in a variety of employment fields. More specifically within residential treatment settings, BST strategies can teach staff at all levels the necessary competencies for working with learners who display challenging behaviors. Not only does the implementation of evidence-based training strategies positively impact the quality of care for learners within residential programs, but it also improves staff retention and perceived efficacy of their own skills in positive engagement, preventative strategies, and crisis de-escalation. The BST model is comprised of four main components: 1) providing instruction; 2) modeling skills; 3) role playing skills; and 4) providing performance feedback. This model has been used as a training strategy across several different employment settings and types of positions from direct support professionals (Lerman et al. 2015), to teachers (Sarokoff & Sturmey, 2004). This paper will review the process of implementing a BST curriculum for direct care staff at a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) in Kansas. Key implementation strategies for positive outcome include developing a staff mentor program, implementing fidelity checklists and ongoing evaluations.

Behavior skills training (BST) is an effective staff training procedure used in many diverse settings to teach many different skills. Feedback is an essential component of BST and is often delivered verbally during role play and in situ practice of skills being taught. This said however, no studies to date have systematically evaluated the use of innovative feedback procedures such as clickers, during BST to determine their additive intervention effects. The current study involved a component analysis of BST with the addition of clicker feedback in place of verbal or written feedback to train staff to implement preference assessments with individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The research design comprised of a concurrent multiple baseline, with an ABCD design. Results provide useful implications on the role of immediate clicker feedback during staff training procedures.

The use of metaphors as described by Stewart and Barnes Holmes (2001) was used to teach four group home staff about motivating operations and reinforcement to increase accurate reinforcement schedule implementation in the home. Correct reinforcement delivery was observed to be ineffective across the four staff in the group home. Staff were offering both too much access and attention whereas other times too little access and attention were provided. The metaphors of vampires and werewolves were related to the concepts of deprivation (based on the response latency of reinforcement delivery) and satiation (based on the magnitude of reinforcement delivered) to explain when and how much reinforcement is and is not appropriate to deliver. The study employed a multiple baseline design to evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing imagery and metaphors (vampires and werewolves) during training to increase accurate implementation of the client’s reinforcement schedule. In the study, the intervention increased the treatment integrity scores in three of the four group home staff to 90% or higher across observations.

Social validity is the heart of applied behavior analysis and is used to validate behavioral interventions. Previous studies investigated the social validity measures in manuscripts published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) from 1968 to 2016. However, an up-to-date comprehensive analysis is needed to examine an update on trends in social validity measures after 2016 and to understand how the field has been advancing towards socially valid interventions. The current review assessed social validity measures reported in JABA and Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP) between 2017 and 2022. JABA is a primarily applied research journal while BAP broadly disseminates research to front-line practitioners of behavior analysis. Four aspects were coded for all empirical articles that included at least one participant – type, dimension, target population, and time of social validity measurement. The results showed that 29% of articles reported social validity. Of manuscripts that included social validity assessment, rating scales were the most widely used type of measurement, and more than two-thirds of the studies collected social validity data after the intervention. Outcome and procedure were the most commonly reported dimensions of social validity. Implications and future directions are also discussed.

Using Behavior Skills Training (i.e., providing instructions, modeling, role play, and feedback) to train individuals is effective but can be time intensive, costly, and requires direct interaction with a trained clinician. These resources can be scarce in settings that train staff to implement applied behavior analytic interventions with children with autism/autistic children. Therefore, there is a need to identify more efficient ways to train individuals to implement behavior-change procedures. In the current study, we used a 100 min audio-only (i.e., podcast) training with worksheets to teach listeners how to use positive reinforcement. We conducted the study with three new direct-line staff at a university-based autism center and evaluated the effects using an A-B design across multiple target behavior scenarios with a confederate. Two participants showed mastery-level performance in one or more of the target behavior scenarios following listening to the podcast, and one participant required additional training. All participants had higher scores on a knowledge assessment following the podcast. Results suggest that an audio-only training can teach staff to implement positive reinforcement and may be an efficient and efficacious way for delivering staff training. Implications for future research directions are discussed.

The Center for Autism and Social Inclusion of the University of São Paulo (CAIS-USP) was created in 2007 as a result of a binational project involving the Brazilian research agency CAPES, the american FIPSE and north American universities. CAIS´s mission is to teach professional behavior analysts to effectively assist people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. This mission is relevant due to both the shortage of free services for people with ASD in Brazil, and the growing demand for this type of service, which results in few qualified professionals prepared to implement effective interventions. The present study aimed to teach the following discrete trial training domains to therapists: organization of the environment, attention, instruction, consequence, intertrial interval, data recording and randomization of stimuli. Nineteen students from the psychology course at the University of São Paulo (USP) participated. Teaching consisted of BST elements such as modeling, testing and practice with feedback. Baseline data were initially collected to verify students repertoire prior to the teaching procedure and 2 reassessments were conducted throughout the process to monitor student performance. Results indicate that the teaching procedure using some BST components was effective in discrete trial teaching. Students demonstrated higher score in domains such as: instruction, consequence, interval, record and randomization. In addition, students with greater participation in the practical class performed better than students with a number equal to or greater than 4 absences throughout the semester.

Recently, psychology in general has explored concerns around the publication process, though this exploration is less so in behavior analysis. One potential source for identifying areas of interest in understanding the publication process is through behavioral product analysis. In our study, we semi-randomly selected five articles from 2020 across three behavior-analytic journals that were based on at least one author’s thesis or dissertation. We then compared graph construction and general participant data between published and unpublished works. Our findings show some graphs improving in quality, graph construction changes (e.g., moving from bar charts to line charts), and changes in participant representation. Possible sources of explanation are explored with an eye toward future efforts to better understand the process of change from unpublished to published capstone work.

Verbal Behavior interactions are episodes of the daily life of humans. Despite its relevance, few studies (e.g., Conger & Killeen, 1974; McDowell & Caron, 2010; Simon & Baum, 2017) evaluate the individual's response as a stimulus in the modulation of another’s individual response. The objective of this study was to evaluate the establishment of contingent relationships in verbal behavior interactions. Fifteen adults participated, each one was assigned a descriptor or executor role. The first ones had to describe six printed models-figures, which only they could see. The seconds had to draw what described their partner. Four phases were programmed, in phases 1 and 3 the executors solved the task with Descriptor A, and in phases 2 and 4 with Descriptor B. The sessions ended when the six model-figures were completed. An index for data analysis was designed (effective responses divided by total responses). In all cases, performance improved in the last two phases compared to the first ones, this could be due to the establishment of contingency relationships in which the partner's response had stimulus functions. These results allow us to recognize that, with some methodological modifications, this task can be useful for the empirical analysis of verbal behavior in dyadic interactions.

Relational Density Theory (RDT) is an extension of Relational Frame Theory that attempts to describe high-order interactions within relational behavior by utilizing Newtonian classical mechanics from physics as a quantitative metaphor. RDT states that relational networks demonstrate higher order properties of density, volume, and mass, which affect the relative likelihood of change along those relational networks. Recent research has shown the merging of classes after coherence training and their relative densities (Belisle & Clayton, 2021). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative degree of change of a pre-established low volume-high density relational class when exposed to a strategic disruptor. Twenty-nine participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received coherence training and the other received a strategic disruptor. We found the strategic, randomized disruptor applied to the disruptor group was not enough to produce change in the low-volume, high-density pre-established relational network. Participants responded consistent with their pre-established relational classes rather than responding consistent with the random stimulus pairings established in the disruptor phase. These findings suggest low-volume, yet high density relational networks are resistant to Future research may explore the degree of strength required for a disruptor to produce changes in such responding.

Relational Density Theory (RDT; Belisle & Dixon, 2020) states that relational classes demonstrate properties of density, volume, and mass, which affect the relative likelihood of change along those relational classes. Recent research on RDT suggests that low-volume, high-density relational classes demonstrate resistance to change when exposed to a strategic, randomized disruptor. Previous research is limited in that it does not determine the relative counterforce necessary to produce change in low-volume, high-density relational classes. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether a structured non-coherence training was sufficient to produce change along a pre-established low-volume, high-density relational class. Participants were assigned to either a coherence training or a non-coherence training group and a Multidimensional Scaling Procedure was administered prior to and following the respective training for each group to obtain a quantitative measure of distance between relational classes. A Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure was utilized to establish coherent relational classes for each group, then a coherence training was administered to one group and a non-coherence training was administered to the other. Overall, the results showed significant fractionation for the non-coherence group and not for the coherence group, which suggests low-volume, high-density relational classes can be altered with sufficient counterforce.

Previous research has indicated that “insensitivity” to changing reinforcement contingencies is a potential consequence of rule following. To further evaluate the variables of which insensitivity may be a function, participants were tasked with earning blocks in a PORTL-like experiment (cf. Hunter & Rosales-Ruiz, 2019). During the experiment, which was modeled after Hayes et al. (1986), participants could earn reinforcers by pressing a button during alternating FR7 and DRL 5-s schedules of reinforcement. In some conditions, the instructions of “Go fast” and “Go slow” were used to either aid or mislead participants. Results indicated that instructions influenced the range of response rates as well as stimulus control over those rates. However, by the end of the experiment, all participants demonstrated sensitivity to both reinforcement contingencies, even in the presence of conflicting instructions. Additionally, there was no evidence that instructions necessarily led to schedule insensitivity. These results suggest that some instances of insensitivity may result simply from how instructions restrict response alternatives—and stimulus control over those alternatives—instead of by specifying a second contingency of reinforcement.