Association for Behavior Analysis International

Basic

This study examines the effects of a spelling flowchart intervention on spelling outcomes for five third-grade students with or at risk for disabilities. A multiple probe across participants design is employed to evaluate intervention effects on three key outcomes: target spelling concept accuracy, whole word spelling accuracy, and participant flowchart step accuracy. This research builds on a pilot study through systematic replication, aiming to extend findings to a new group of students. The intervention focuses on explicitly teaching the long /a/ spelling concept, including its associated spellings (e.g., ai, ay, a_e) through a structured flowchart approach designed to enhance student engagement and support generalization of skills. Preliminary findings indicate that a functional relation has been established across participants, demonstrating that the intervention effectively improves spelling outcomes. Additionally, observations suggest positive trends in students’ ability to generalize spelling concepts beyond trained contexts. Complete results and analyses would be presented at the conference.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social communication skills, social interaction skills, and restrictiveness and repetitiveness of behaviors. While many autistic children may receive early intervention services to support these areas, many are not able to access support until they are of age to attend school. Therefore, it is imperative that educators be trained in evidence-based practices to support the communication needs of young autistic children. This study trained educators to conduct a free-operant preference assessment with young autistic children or children at-risk for autism (Study 1) and implement either mand training or functional communication training (Study 2). A concurrent multiple baseline design across three educators who work with autistic students was used to evaluate the effects of behavior skills training on the target skills. Results indicated that the training was effective across all educators. Additionally, the social validity survey indicated that all the educators found the training and the target skills to be highly acceptable and feasible in their classrooms. Limitations and future research are discussed.

Reinforcers are used to enhance the effectiveness of interventions aimed at skill acquisition and reducing challenging behaviors (Karsten & Carr, 2009; Tullis et al, 2011). Behavior analysts use preference assessments to systematically identify student preferences and highly preferred stimuli that may function as reinforcers (Kang et al., 2013). Teachers and other school-based professionals may be asked to implement behavioral interventions and my benefit from learning how to identify potential reinforcers (Pence et al., 2012; O’Handley et al., 2021). Currently, there is minimal research on whether these procedures are used by non-behavior analysts but Karsten & Graff (2012) suggest that teachers and other school-based professionals are less likely to know of and use preference assessments. To better understand factors that may affect teacher’s knowledge and implementation of preference assessments, the purpose of this qualitative study is to interview special education preschool teachers about their prior knowledge on preference assessments, their beliefs regarding procedural acceptability and feasibility, and factors that may affect their implementation.

College students frequently encounter stressors associated with academic life, impacting their overall well-being and academic performance. This study has explored the efficacy of self-management as an alternative for addressing these challenges. The self-management approach involves (1) selecting a target behavior for change, (2) recording its occurrence, (3) establishing and progressively increasing a reachable criterion, (4) choosing a reward or reinforcer for the target behavior, (5) choosing antecedent stimuli to cue appropriate behaviors, and (6) monitoring and adjusting the strategy as needed. Ten college students participated in a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design. Participants received instructions on self-management principles, collected baseline and intervention data, and engaged in weekly discussions about their progress and challenges with a researcher. Preliminary findings indicate a decrease in problem behaviors or an increase in desired behaviors from baseline to intervention, suggesting that college students can acquire self-management skills to address behavioral needs. However, the study faced limitations, including extensive participant commitment leading to increased attrition.

The continuous development of supervisors in ABA is crucial for service quality and professional advancement. This study investigated the effectiveness of interteaching, an active learning approach that employs preparation guides, small group discussions, clarifying lectures, and frequent testing to teach skills during The Supervision Skills Training (SST). It was implemented with 29 professionals from a Brazilian clinic specializing in ABA. Over 20 hours, distributed across 10 sessions, topics such as planning and organization, selecting meaningful goals, measuring progress, online supervision, and interpersonal skills were covered. Pre- and post-tests evaluated content absorption, complemented by a satisfaction survey. The results showed that all participants achieved the established goals, indicating the effectiveness of interteaching in promoting active learning and professional engagement. Participants’ high satisfaction reinforces the positive impact of the training. Limitations include the absence of a control group and the program’s short duration, which limits the generalizability of the results. Future research should explore the impact of interteaching in varied contexts and its long-term effects on supervisors’ performance and clinical outcomes. This study highlights interteaching as an effective teaching strategy for developing the professional skills of ABA practitioners.

Understanding effective teaching strategies for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is essential for promoting engagement and skill development in age- appropriate recreational activities such as hopscotch. This research study investigates the efficacy of video modeling versus en vivo modeling in teaching a hopscotch play sequence to elementary-aged children with ASD. Using a comparative analysis, the research explores whether elementary-aged children instructed through en vivo modeling demonstrate a higher percentage of correct steps in hopscotch compared to those who receive video-based instruction. This study employs an alternating treatment design to assess learning outcomes among a sample of elementary-aged children diagnosed with ASD. The findings from this study could help improve how we teach motor skills to children with ASD, making playtime more fun and accessible. Furthermore, the implications of this research may stretch beyond the classroom, as they assist in enriching the lives of children with ASD, as well as creating more opportunities for inclusion, and enhancing their quality of life.

This poster will provide preliminary data for an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funded project called Project Social Code. Project Social Code aims to establish social and communication skills in students via science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instruction. Specifically, Project Social Code is designed for elementary-aged students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Most commonly, STEM instruction is embedded into a general education curriculum that students with IDD do not have access to. However, about 35% of college students with IDD select coding as their primary study. Given restricted access to STEM instruction during grade school, students with IDD might not be adequately prepared for college-level STEM instruction as their typically-developing peers. Project Social Code's curriculum includes STEM instruction and social skill instruction, as most engineering teams involve more than one person and thus involve complex social skills. Results from two case studies will be reviewed and discussed, including student social skills data and teacher fidelity data.

As higher education evolves, institutions must recognize and honor the diverse cultural experiences students bring to the classroom by adapting teaching methods and support services to meet unique student needs. Tennessee Tech's unique ABA learning community in rural Tennessee primarily includes international scholars and first-generation Appalachian graduate students. In this session, our students will showcase a qualitative study and share their journeys, challenges, and triumphs as they navigate cultural transitions, balance family responsibilities, and pursue their academic goals. International students will discuss their experiences adapting to American academic culture, while Appalachian students will reflect on how their rural backgrounds inform their approach to behavioral healthcare. Attendees will gain insights into creating more inclusive and supportive environments for diverse student populations through these firsthand accounts. Join us to hear directly from students bridging cultures and building careers in behavior analysis while maintaining strong connections to their global origins and Appalachian roots.

Mentorship is one of the most crucial aspects to successful new teacher induction programming (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). However, there are practical and logistical challenges. Challenges include: a) lack of qualified mentors, b) different locations throughout districts, c) lack of autism-specific training, d) misalignment of experience, e) misalignment of training schedules, f) missed training, and g) lack of autonomy and choice. Online learning modules are a popular method of disseminating information among teachers and effectively increasing teachers’ content knowledge (Jimenez et al., 2016; Upendra, 2015). Project STAY (Supporting Teachers of Autism in Years 1-3) developed a dynamic, self-paced, virtual training that specifically targeted these barriers. We developed five modules based on qualitative research from the perspectives of various stakeholders. These modules were designed by a technology-driven research cohort specializing in accessibility and distance education. We will present information on the content, technical development, presentation, and reception of these modules from both new and experienced mentor teachers.

Mathematics vocabulary (MV) is one component of mathematical language critical to mastering mathematics (Fuchs et al., 2021). This study examined the implementation, effects, and social validity of a manualized intervention for teaching students with disabilities MV. Participants included 30 students in grades 6-8 (ages 11-14) who demonstrated a lack of mastery of third grade MV and were identified with a disability and 3 teachers. Students were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, and teachers implemented the intervention with the treatment group. The intervention consisted of 46 words/concepts taught in 22 lessons using carefully sequenced examples and non-examples. Intervention sessions producing a mean of 6.8 student responses per minute occurred once per school day for a mean of 11.8 minutes per session (range = 6-21 minutes). The two groups were similar at pretest in mathematics achievement and MV; however, treatment significantly outperformed control on the posttest of MV (p < .001, g = 1.99). Observational data indicate the intervention was implemented as intended and is feasible for use in schools. Social validity data suggest teachers found the intervention acceptable. Results indicate well-designed, manualized instruction using multiple exemplars can be highly effective for teaching MV to students needing remedial instruction.

The concept of functional competence is linked to that of intelligent behavior, as interface notions in the field theory proposed by Ribes (2018) and the interdisciplinary intervention of psychology in education. The purpose of the study is to analyze intelligent behavior as a conditional relationship between an individual who learns and a learning object, as states and transitions between functional levels. Intelligent behavior is identified as varied and effective from a transfer test based on the extension contact of the taxonomy of functions. An intrasubject design was used, with a pretest, a training phase, a posttest, and a transfer test. In the training phase, the participants, students of both sexes in the fifth grade of primary school, were exposed to contingencies of occurrence and function in three different sequences. Group A: coupling, alteration, comparison; group B: coupling, alteration, comparison, and extension; group C: coupling, alteration, comparison, extension, and transformation. The results suggest, based on the results of the transfer test, that training based on extension contact articulates contingencies of occurrence and function that make possible the emergence of functionally effective and varied behaviors.

Learning to read can be promoted through technology. In this research we evaluated performance of Mexican primary students to learn to read English as a second language assisted by technology. Thus, 23 children were recruited, 14 boys and 9 girls, aged between 9 and 13 years (mean = 9.2, standard deviation = 1.6). They had access to the “Head Sprout” learning platform for 8 months. This platform has proven to be effective in learning to read English as a first language. It consists of 100 episodes. The first 50 episodes promote the basic reading skills expected of K-2 students. The participating children had to study under the supervision of their parents at home due to the COVID-19 contingency. After 8 months, participants studied an average of 28 episodes with an average cumulative time of 578 minutes. The platform recorded an average of 208 interactions (responses using the mouse) for each episode studied. Accuracy in each episode ranged from 80 to 97%. No significant differences were found by sex, age or whether they studied alone or with a sibling. In general, these data suggest a low time of use of the technological resource with high precision performance.

The Response to Intervention (RTI) model emphasizes the establishment of students’ learning outcomes through a preventive approach within the three-tiered progress monitoring process, based on a high-quality core curriculum and evidence-based strategies. This study implemented the RTI three-tier model through transdisciplinary collaborative consultation, providing evidence-based interventions and continuously tracking their effectiveness. The three-year study targeted four preschools, where, during the progress monitoring process, children aged 2-6 with medical assessment reports or disability certificates received more intensive intervention in Tier II and Tier III. By the end of this session, participants will gain information about: 1. How to implement the RTI model in early childhood contexts; 2. A comparative analysis of whether the transdisciplinary collaboration model has been applied, and the differences in the performance of children receiving intervention at the three tiers; 3. A review of the performance of children’s intervention outcomes, early intervention effect evaluations across three dimensions, and the quality of family life under interdisciplinary collaboration. The RTI three-tier model in this study, through adjustments and modifications to the transdisciplinary service model, confirms the feasibility of its application in Taiwan's preschools.

This study’s purpose was to evaluate the effects of a guided practice and shaping procedure on developing sentence writing by a 10-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder in a Self-Contained Special Education classroom. The dependent variable was the number of sentences written assessed in four components: number of words from word box, complete sentences written, capitalization/punctuation, and linear writing. Within a changing criterion design, permanent product assessed the participant’s writing using a point system earned from the components met. Within the guided practice and shaping intervention, each of the dependent variable’s components were taught individually to gradually shape the participant’s skill. After one component was mastered, the others were individually introduced. For guided practice, the researcher first modeled the target component showing how to correctly perform the skill. To assist the participant, a rule was given for him to self-direct. As the participant learned, the modeling, guiding, and prompting reduced so the participant performed independently. Throughout all the stages, contingent feedback was given to facilitate correct responding. The study's conclusions demonstrated the effective integration of utilizing guided practice, shaping, explicit rules, and self-monitoring to positively impact the participant's writing to mastery in the intervention and maintenance phases.

This symposium integrates behavioral and neurophysiological research to provide novel insights into how relational responding and psychological flexibility can influence pro-environmental behaviors and emotional resilience. First, we examine the neurophysiological underpinnings of derived relational responding using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). By investigating how different relational frames activate brain networks, this research provides critical insights into the neurological correlates of relational frame theory (RFT). Data from neurotypical and autistic participants reveal distinct activation patterns, shedding light on the neural mechanisms involved in relational learning and offering implications for advancing linguistic and cognitive training approaches. The second study in this series expands upon advanced language strategies by exploring the role of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in promoting climate action and reducing climate-related anxiety in marginalized groups, specifically youth and disabled individuals. This research highlights the importance of increased psychological flexibility in addressing broader social issues like climate change through individual behavior changes, as evidenced by increased pro-environmental purchasing behaviors following relational training. This symposium offers insight into the advancement of behavioral science through neurophysiology and applications in both individual and societal change.

Behavior analysts should have familiarity with RFT and ACT, including a basic understanding of principles and processes. In addition, familiarity with fMRI and basic consumer research may be of benefit.