Latest web revision: Feb. 14:
      Thursday: Fisher keynote address approved for BACB CEUs.
      Thursday: Outstanding Contributor address approved for BACB CEUs.
      Friday: Sundberg keynote address approved for BACB CEUs.

Feb. 5 web revision:
      Friday: Palmer invited address moved to Bayside B, 1:30 - 2:20.
      Friday: Pavlik address moved to Bayside A, 10:30 - 11:20.

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Important note on continuing education: CalABA is accredited as a provider of continuing education (CE) by the following organizations: Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB); California Board of Psychology Mandatory Continuing Education Program for Psychologists (MCEP); California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS); California Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board (SLPAB). Each of these organizations has specific criteria regarding events and instructors that can be offered for CE. If a prospective presenter at the CalABA conference wishes to have her/his address, symposium, or workshop considered for CE (posters are not eligible), s/he must indicate that when the presentation is submitted, and submit additional materials, such as the vitae of the proposed CE instructor. The CalABA Professional Standards Committee then reviews each of those submissions and determines if the event and instructor meet the CE criteria of the relevant organizations. In short, not all presentations in this conference program could be offered for CE. If a presentation is not offered for CE, it is either because the submitting author did not request CE review or did not submit the necessary materials, or because the event and/or instructor did not meet CE requirements.

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Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Thursday, February 16, 2006      Presenting authors are indicated in UPPERCASE

The completion of the map of the human genome holds great potential for expanding our understanding of gene-environment-behavior relations and behavior disorders. However, this potential can be fully realized only if the advances in genetic analyses are accompanied by advances in behavioral analyses that accurately characterize behavioral phenotypes. For example, in behavioral genetic studies, self-injurious behavior (SIB) is often characterized by one or a few items on a behavior rating scale. This simplistic and structural approach to identifying behavioral phenotypes often lacks precision and, more importantly, it may overlook the extent to which genes interact with environmental contingencies to influence the expression of one or more topographies of aberrant behavior. Functional analysis, on the other hand, provides a precise method of quantifying both the topographical and functional properties of aberrant behaviors like SIB. The accurate characterization of behavioral phenotypes using functional analysis methods should increase the power of analyses designed to identify genes that affect those phenotypes. My presentation will focus on how functional analysis methods may be used to better characterize behavioral phenotypes, using SIB, autism, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder as three exemplars.

Five percent of home accident fatalities involve children between birth and 4 years of age (National Safety Council, 2000). Explicit training of safety skills in children diagnosed with autism is of utmost importance due to the pervasive behavioral deficits commonly exhibited by these children. In an effort to add to the current research in household safety in young children with autism we sought to discover a practical method to teach these vital skills. A multiple-baseline design across participants was implemented to evaluate the effects of using rules, prompts and social praise to teach participants to respond appropriately to a doorbell as well as to the presence of dangerous household chemicals. Further, an assessment system that quantifies potential home safety hazards was implemented across several homes of children diagnosed with autism. Results of these analyses will be presented in addition to a review of the current behavioral literature on safety skills training.

In recent years, behavior analysts have demonstrated a growing interest in exploring the concept of a “theory of mind,” and the proposed theory of mind deficit in autism. While a thorough behavior analytic analysis of the identification of others’ private events has not yet occurred, a review of developmental literature allows the identification of several potential skill areas that may be critical in social-communicative interactions. One of the most significant of these skills may be the identification of others’ “knowledge.” Considering and applying what other people “know” during communicative and social interactions allows the speaker to moderate the amount of information required by the listener to provide sufficient, but not excessive, background, while failing to do so often results in conversational redundancies or lack of appropriate context. The current presentation describes skill targets and training procedures for increasing the identification of what others know, and case presentations will explore the generalization of training targets to general conversation.

Pediatric feeding disorders are common in children with autism and other disabilities and may also be evident in typically developing children. Feeding problems are generally treated by a single disciple or a team of professionals that include pediatric gasteroenterology, occupational/speech therapy, nutrition, and/or behavioral psychology. Treatments may involve services that are delivered in a clinic/hospital or in the home. The purpose of this presentation is to give the audience an overview of possible treatment approaches that may be initiated in a clinic or at home to resolve a variety of feeding problems. This presentation will also focus on the similarity and differences of clinic-based versus home-based programs. Lastly, we will discuss the outcome measures for the two types of program. This presentation should further the knowledge of BCBA’s or BCABA’s in the use of data-based practices for treating children with feeding problems. More specifically, the presentation should be able to assist clinicians on how data should be collected in a less structured environment and how the data could be used for good clinical practice.

We used a concurrent chains procedure in the current study to evaluate the effectiveness of and preference for three teaching tactics (i.e., errorless, moderate, trial-and-error) with 8 preschool children. All children were taught to match Spanish or Icelandic text to pictures. Progressive time delays and model prompts promoted fewer errors in the errorless tactic. In the trial-and-error tactic (T&E), a constant time delay was used and model prompts were only provided after 2 errors; thus, more errors resulted. The moderate tactic included features of the errorless and T&E tactics; this resulted in a moderate number of errors. Relative efficacy of the 3 tactics was determined by comparing differences in acquisition of text-picture relations and post tests of the same relations, whereas preference was determined by observing relative response rates in initial links of the concurrent chains arrangement (where children chose the tactics and then experienced them in the terminal links). Interobserver agreement was collected for a minimum of 30% of sessions and mean agreement was 90% or higher for all measures. Results indicated that T&E was most effective and preferred for 60% and 50% of applications, respectively. Correspondence between efficacy and preference measures was observed for 40% of applications. Descriptors: choice, concurrent chains, preschoolers, errorless, trial-and-error

The purpose of this address is to examine the current literature regarding the application of functional assessment strategies in a clinical setting (e.g., classroom, group home, etc). The first portion of the address will focus on recent studies in which consultants conduct functional assessments and develop intervention strategies within the clinical setting. The second portion will focus on studies in which teachers and/or other staff who are directly involved in the individual’s case conduct functional assessments and develop intervention strategies. The third portion will focus on studies in which consultants train teachers and/or other staff directly involved in the individual’s case on how to conduct functional assessments and develop intervention strategies. Finally, the presenters will discuss the need for more researchers to conduct studies in naturalistic environments. Challenges to conducting research in naturalistic environments will be discussed as well as practical solutions to those challenges.

Data from four recent studies on the use of behavioral assessment procedures in organizational behavior management (OBM) will be presented. Data from two studies will depict the use of assessment methods which identify variables that might contribute to performance problems by employees in organizations. Data from two other studies will depict methods of assessing preference for items / activities, the results of which can then be used in performance improvement plans, by employees in organizations. The presentation will conclude with suggestions for future research on assessment in OBM.

This paper will examine biomedical and behavioral treatments for two mental problems, schizophrenia and depression, revealing that the current dominance of biomedical approaches to these problems is not based on their superior treatment efficacy. Some of the serious side-effects of biomedical treatments, typically psychotropic drugs, will be reviewed. Reasons why biomedical and pharmacological solutions are the dominant approach to dealing with these problems will be explained, including: huge profits garnered by the pharmaceutical industry, industry-controlled clinical research, drug company sponsorship of professional education, extensive media advertising campaigns, financial influence of client advocacy groups, infiltration of government regulatory agencies, and lobbying of legislative representatives.

Token reinforcement systems are among the oldest and most successful technologies to emerge from behavior analysis. Numerous studies have documented the therapeutic and educational benefits of token procedures across a wide range of settings and subject populations. Unlike most successful technologies in behavior analysis, however, the science and technology of token systems have developed largely in parallel, with little cross-fertilization of ideas and concepts. Despite laboratory research on token systems dating back to the 1930s, surprisingly little of this has found its way into the applied realm. And despite some 40 years of applied research on token economies, little of this work has shed light on basic behavioral processes. This split between laboratory and applied work has had unfortunate consequences for the field. The main goal of my talk will be to call for greater integration of laboratory and applied research on token systems. The talk will be divided into 3 parts: (1) Past, an historical overview of research on token systems; (2) Present, a description of recent work on token reinforcement from my own laboratory; and (3) Future, some especially promising trends, focusing mainly on the concept of generalized reinforcement. Many of the most exciting developments are those at the interface between laboratory science and application—what I call discovery-based application.

Many children with autism acquire a significant vocabulary of tact responses (expressive labeling), but fail to acquire a functional intraverbal repertoire. According to a Skinnerian analysis of language, this is in part, due to the nature of the relevant stimulus control involved in the two verbal operants. Tacts are under the functional control of nonverbal discriminative stimuli while intraverbal responses are under the functional control of verbal discriminative stimuli. Previous research with typical children, as well as children with developmental disabilities, has demonstrated that teaching a response under tact control does not guarantee that the same response form will occur under verbal stimulus control. The current presentation will present several procedures designed to establish intraverbal stimulus control for children with autism. Behavior analysts will learn how to analyze defective intraverbal repertoires and implement data based procedures for establishing verbal stimulus control over verbal behaviors.

This symposium will present data that are relevant to communication interventions for young children with autism. First we will discuss data based strategies relating to the use of antecedent strategies in creating language opportunities that result in increases in responsivity and child affect, as well as decreases in disruptive and avoidant behavior, for young nonverbal children with autism. Next, we will introduce additional empirical studies that address the issue of selective stimulus control in a subpopulation of early language learners. Specifically, the second study will demonstrate the use of a stimulus fading procedure for promoting functional speech for children who use a few words only under restricted stimulus conditions. A third study examining overselectivity, evaluates a strategy for treating children who overselect on specific phonemes in complex speech sounds by emphasizing the missing components of the word. Overall, conceptual implications of these stimulus variables will be discussed in relation to a broader understanding of delivering intervention to young children with autism. Moreover, the importance of incorporating various antecedent strategies in naturalistic motivational procedures for specific populations will be discussed.

Eliminating Antecedent Stimuli for Disruptive and Avoidant Behavior in Pivotal Response Treatment for Young Nonverbal Children with Autism
AMANDA MOSSMAN SERVESKO, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center
Grace A. Werner, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center
Robert L. Koegel, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center

This study examines the effects of several antecedent stimulus operations in language opportunities in pivotal response treatment in young nonverbal children with autism. Specifically, in Experiment 1, two conditions were identified: in order to provide a language opportunity, (1) the child’s action is interrupted or (2) the child’s action is not interrupted. A repeated measures design (n = 10) demonstrates significant increase in disruptive and avoidant behavior in Condition 1 compared to Condition 2. In Experiment 2, an ABAB reversal design documents a technique in which the interruption of the child’s action is used as a reinforcer to change the antecedent stimulus function of the interruption. The data indicate dramatic decreases in disruptive and avoidant behavior, and increases in responsivity and child affect under such conditions. Results are discussed in consideration of the relationship of antecedent stimulus operations to a learned helplessness model for conceptualizing teaching first words to nonverbal children with autism.

Using Stimulus Fading to Teach Functional Speech to Young Children with Autism Who Have Only a Few Non-Functional Words Under Restricted Stimulus Conditions
GRACE A. WERNER, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center
Amanda Mossman Servesko, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center
Robert L. Koegel, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center

This study examines the use of a stimulus fading procedure in promoting initial functional speech in children with autism who exhibit only a few non-functional words under restricted stimulus conditions. In Experiment 1, an ABAB reversal design documents a child’s lack of functional speech across settings and contrasts this with evidence of his non-functional imitation of a few words in response to one artificial stimulus condition. In Experiment 2, a stimulus fading procedure was used in which the controlling artificial stimulus was paired with the desired stimulus (a live voice) and systematically faded according to a changing criterion design. Results indicated rapid transfer of stimulus control to the desired live voice stimulus and follow-up data indicated continued responding and rapid growth in functional vocabulary. Implications for using existing non-functional words in promoting functional speech in children with autism are discussed within the context of a strength-based approach to intervention.

Reducing Overselective Responding During Early Language Development in Children with Autism
ARIELLA EICHENBAUM, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center
Robert L. Koegel, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center
Lynn Kern Koegel, University of California Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center

Literature on overselective responding to the components of complex stimuli suggests that children with autism may have difficulty acquiring speech because they may overselectively respond to only some of the components of complex speech sounds. The purpose of the present study was to systematically assess whether nonverbal children with autism who have had difficulty acquiring their first words and selectively respond to individual components within words can be directed to the missing relevant components when these components are first emphasized and presented alone. The results, replicated through a multiple baseline-across participants and words design, showed a decrease in overselective responding to components of target words and generalization across new words. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for further understanding the role of overselectivity and the development of intervention procedures in speech acquisition in nonverbal children with autism.

Research in discrete-trial instruction for children with autism has received increasing attention over the years given the frequency with which early intervention programs utilize this teaching methodology. This symposium will feature three examples of research relevant to discrete-trial instruction among children with autism. Shabani and Fisher will present data on the effects of interspersing previously mastered items during discrete-trial training with children with autism. Kenzer and Ghezzi will present a study comparing discrete-trial and fluency instruction. Cross and Bailey will present data comparing concurrent versus serial sequencing of intra-program exemplars. Finally, Patrick Ghezzi will serve as the discussant to integrate the findings of these three presentations.

The Effects of Interspersed Versus Distributed Training on Acquisition During Discrete Trial Instruction
DANIEL B. SHABANI, Lovaas Institute
Wayne Fisher, The Marcus Institute
Joselyn Cynkus, The Marcus Institute

This study incorporated features from a withdrawal and multielement design to compare the effects of interspersed versus distributed training during discrete trial instruction with two children diagnosed with autism. During interspersed training sessions, previously mastered sight words were alternated with one novel target word. During distributed training sessions, only novel sight words were presented. After meeting specific mastery criteria, periodic baseline probes were conducted in order to assess the effects of interspersed and distributed training on acquisition rates. Results indicated different rates of acquisition across training procedures. The implications for discrete trial training programs will be discussed.

A Comparison of Discrete Trial Instruction and Fluency Instruction on Retention of Academic Tasks with Young Children with Autism
AMY L. KENZER, University of Nevada, Reno
Patrick M. Ghezzi, University of Nevada, Reno

Fluency instruction is most widely used with children and adults of typical development. Further, investigations concerning potential beneficial outcomes of fluent performance have primarily included undergraduate students. Thus, the extent to which benefits of fluency instruction extends to individuals with developmental disabilities is not known. The retention of academic skills was assessed up to 21 weeks following fluency and discrete trial instruction with children with autism.

Serial and Concurrent Intra-Program Exemplar Sequencing
SCOTT C. CROSS, Lovaas Institute and Florida State University
Jon S. Bailey, Florida State University

In designing educational programs for children with autism, numerous aspects are likely to be affected by one’s own training and experience rather than objective measures of child learning characteristics. One such aspect of instruction is serial and concurrent intra program objective sequencing. Utilizing a repeated reversal design, serial and concurrent sequencing was investigated in terms of instructional efficiency, generalization, and maintenance of skills taught within the programming domains of expressive functions, word to picture association, sight-reading, and pretend play chains. The differential effectiveness of serial and concurrent objective sequencing will be reviewed as well as suggestions for future utilization of the reversal design in research and clinical applications.

This symposium will focus on current research conducted with children diagnosed with ADHD. The first paper will present a summary of a meta-analysis of the assessment and treatment literature related to problem behavior exhibited by children diagnosed with ADHD. The second paper will present a study evaluating the predictive validity of preferences assessments when conducted with children under different levels of medication status. The third paper will present a study demonstrating the effects of peer-mediated interventions for children displaying problem behavior in an afterschool program. Finally, the discussant will summarize the contributions and suggest avenues for future research realted to behavioral approaches working with children diagnosed with ADHD.

A Review of the Assessments and Treatment of Problem Behavior Exhibited by Children Diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
MARIA STEVENSON, University of Nevada, Reno
Michele D. Wallace, California State University, Los Angeles

Children who display problem behavior in school are more and more being diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD/ADD). Common treatment approaches to eliminate these problems in school fall into three categories: Medical regimes, Behavioral approaches, or a Multitreament approach utilizing both medical and behavioral interventions. Although these approaches have been utilized to decrease problem behavior exhibited by children, a meta-analysis comparing these approaches with respect to their direct as well as their indirect effects has not been conducted. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the assessment and treatment literature related to decreasing problematic behavior exhibited by children diagnosed with ADHD/ADD with respect to: a) operational definitions, b) assessment approaches, c) treatment effects when behavioral approaches are utilized (e.g., reinforcement based procedures, antecedent manipulation procedures, and extinction based procedures), d) treatment effects when medication regimens are utilized, e) treatment effects when a combination of both approaches are utilized, and f) generalization and maintenance of treatment effects. In addition, suggestions for the treatment of problem behavior exhibited by children diagnosed with ADHD/ADD as well as future research suggestions are provided.

The Predictive Validity of Preference Assessments Conducted During Different Levels of Medication for Children Diagnosed with ADHD
CARRIE ELLSWORTH, Theraputic Pathways
Michele D. Wallace, California State University, Los Angeles
Mandy McClanahan, University of Nevada, Reno
Brooke Holland, University of Nevada, Reno
Molly Halligan, University of Nevada, Reno

The validity of preference assessments for predicting reinforcer efficacy was evaluated with children who took medication for the treatment of ADHD. Preference assessments were conducted during two medication levels. Full effects was when 1-2 hours had passed since the administration of the medication and partial effects was when 6-10 hours had passed since the administration of the medication. Reinforcer assessments were used to evaluate responding on an academic task using a progressive ratio (PR) schedule in which schedule requirements progressively increased within each session. Results demonstrated that preference assessments conducted during full effects accurately predicted performance during reinforcer assessments, whereas preference assessments conducted during partial effects did not predict performance. In addition, results demonstrate the utility of a PR schedule for evaluating reinforcer efficacy using various measures.

Using Peer-Mediated Reinforcement
ALICIA N. MACALEESE, University of Nevada, Reno
Michele D. Wallace, California State University, Los Angeles
Erin Pitts, University of Nevada, Reno
Mandy McClanahan, University of Nevada, Reno

Typical treatments for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and who display problem behavior, often involve the use of psycho-stimulants. Moreover, behavioral interventions are typically under-utilized. One aspect of behavioral interventions that has not been extensively evaluated is the use of peers in mediating problem behavior of students diagnosed with ADHD. The use of peers may enhance behavioral treatments making them more desirable to psycho-stimulant interventions. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the use of a peer mediating procedure to decrease the inappropriate behavior in the classroom setting displayed by students diagnosed with ADHD, thus extending the previous literature in the area. Moreover, this procedure may demonstrate a behavioral treatment that does not increase teacher response effort.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the diagnosed cases of autism. Current estimates suggest that one out of every 166 children have some form of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In addition, the number of children being classified with an ASD receiving special education services in the United States has increased. As an example, the California Department of Education reported that the number of individuals with autism receiving special education services increased from 1,982 in 1992 to 24,943 in 2003. Due to the increasing number of children being diagnosed with autism, families, educators and policy-makers are in critical need of reliable tools to help them distinguish between science-based approaches to education and treatment and those approaches that are based on speculation. In an effort to address this need, the National Standards Project recently was established by the National Autism Center, a new, not-for-profit organization. The National Standards Project is a unique effort to provide validated national standards for evidence-based education and behavioral intervention for children with autism. This presentation will highlight the initial deliberations of the panel of experts convened to establish a set of standards designed to help guide families, educators and school administrators toward evidence-based approaches. This talk will present the methodology used to assess the educational practices and treatments reviewed. Finally, this presentation will discuss how the work of the National Standards Project dovetails with the current California Department of Developmental Services project, ASD Best Practice Guidelines for Treatment and Interventions.

Basic research on the cellular mechanisms underlying cerebral ischemia (stroke) and other cerebrovascular diseases is revealing much about why brain tissue dies or survives when its blood supply is cut off. The use of nonhuman animals in such research presents a special challenge for behavioral researchers--how to assess the neurological consequences of stroke in animals that do not speak or follow spoken commands? Although operant behavior may eventually be of value in this regard, at present researchers rely primarily on deficits in unconditioned behavior to assess impairment after an experimental stroke. These "neurological exams" often reveal deficits that are correlated with the extent of damage and that reflect recovery from stroke in animals exposed to tissue-sparing treatments. I will present data from experiments with rats that illustrate these procedures, draw comparisons between the procedures and neurological exams in stroke patients, and discuss how behavior analysts may play an important role in teams of basic researchers studying brain diseases.

As a student of contemporary applied behavior analysis, Glenda Vittimberga valued constructive or educative approaches over eliminative ones (Vittimberga, Scotti, & Weigle, 1999). This paper addresses some of the elements of repertoire enhancing ABA and examines their current use in everyday practice. It draws on examples from work with persons with developmental disabilities, a population with whom Vittimberga focused her own research and writing. Practices that might make her smile are identified, as are some about which she might show concern. Nowhere are concerns more evident than in the rapidly expanding cottage industry involving home-based autism programs. Extensive experience observing and evaluating such programs suggests it is time to get back to dancing with the one who brought us, and to revisit our roots in the science of behavior. The paper concludes with suggestions for continuing to improve the education, certification, and practice of behavior analysts.

Extinction is the most direct method for reducing the frequency of behavior. Nevertheless, the procedure is prone to misapplication, may produce undesirable effects, and can be difficult to implement. This presentation will consider some limitations associated with the use of extinction and will suggest alternative strategies.

This presentation will provide a brief background of the history of choice-making opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Research in the area of choice will be reviewed and research themes will be contextualized within advocacy movements that sought to increase opportunities and rights for individuals with disabilities. The application of choice as an intervention strategy will then be discussed. Conceptual research will be described that has offered theoretical explanations for the effectiveness of choice as an intervention strategy. Finally, a variety of applied research studies will be described that illustrate how choice can be implemented as an intervention approach in natural contexts.

This symposium includes three studies that used peer-mediated strategies to improve social and play skills for children with autism in school settings. The interventions were designed by special and general education teachers and researchers and were conducted in different school settings including general and special educational schools. Results indicated that peer-mediated strategies effectively improved play and social interactions between the children and their peers. Following the success of each program, the teachers who designed, implemented, and evaluated the interventions have since continued to train other in an attempt to generalize the effects to other students and other behaviors.

Peer Mediated Strategies to Improve Social Skills During Recess
CHRISTENA HARPER, California State University Los Angeles
William D. Frea, California State University, Los Angeles
Jennifer B. Symon, California State University, Los Angeles

Considering the challenges that individuals with autism often experience with social interactions, they are often left alone and isolated during unstructured recess activities. This study presents a successful peer mediated intervention to improve social interactions between children with autism and typical peers on the playground. During the baseline phase, the target children engaged in inappropriate or limited social interactions with peers. Groups (triads) of non-disabled peers were trained to use teaching strategies to improve interactive play skills of the target children with autism. Peers were taught motivational applied behavioral analysis teaching techniques including gaining attention, varying tasks, modeling, reinforcing attempts, and turn taking. Following the short training, the peers reached high levels of fidelity of implementation on their use of the techniques. They then successfully prompted the target children to gain attention, initiate, and take turns while playing at recess. A multiple-baseline across participants design showed that the typical peers learned how to provide social interactive opportunities and the children with autism greatly increased their appropriate play and social skills with their peers on the playground. These skills maintained after the training and demonstrated improved social interactions for the children with autism.

Improving Play and Social Interactions for Children with Autism Using a Time Delay Procedure
DANIELLA LIBER, California State University, Los Angeles
William D. Frea, California State University, Los Angeles
Jennifer B. Symon, California State University, Los Angeles

An intervention to teach social communication and play skills is crucial for the social, language, and emotional development of children with autism. Current research has indicated that the time delay procedure can be highly effective in teaching language acquisition, socially appropriate use of language, discrete behaviors, and chained activities to individuals with autism and developmental delays. In this study, three boys with autism, who attend the same non-public school, were taught a play activity that combined a play sequence with requesting peer assistance, using a graduated time delay procedure. Data from a multiple-baseline design across subjects demonstrated the success of using this procedure to teach 10- and 11-step social play sequences. Participant children learned the play sequence and also increased interactions with peers. The results indicated an additional benefit of the intervention namely increased use of pretend play by one of the participants. Two of the students also demonstrated a generalization of the skills learned through the time delay procedure.

Teaching Social Initiations to Children with Autism: Effective Peer Training
ANGELA LANDREY, California State University, Los Angeles
William D. Frea, California State University, Los Angeles
Jennifer B. Symon, California State University, Los Angeles

Individuals with autism demonstrate impairments in turn-taking, joint attention, pretend play, and maintaining social interactions. Studies have focused on how social skills of students with autism can be improved through peer mediation, the teaching of specific social skills, verbal prompts, feedback, and the teaching of modeling skills to peers. This study focused on increasing initiations of students with autism. Three specific social skills were taught including requesting, commenting, and sharing in addition to self-monitoring. The effects of a self-monitoring intervention program on social interactions between students with autism and their non-disabled peers was a focus of this study. A key finding from this study was that teaching social skills through peer mediation and self-monitoring, was effective in increasing appropriate social behaviors of students with autism toward their peers during play. The results showed that students with autism learned how to be aware of and monitor actions through an intervention program involving peer mediators.

People with severe developmental disabilities are continually challenged to find community residential options that meet their health, behavioral, and support needs, and also result in living a high quality of life. Community Living Opportunities (CLO), a residential service provider in Kansas, in cooperation with the University of Kansas’ Department of Applied Behavioral Science, has developed two residential models that help people with developmental disabilities to “Live the Good Life”. These models were adapted from the nationally disseminated Teaching Family Model (Wolf et al., 1995) and also reflect the premises of Todd Risley (1996), who suggested developing preferred lifestyles for individuals and then coaching them to successfully “live it”. The first presentation describes the characteristics of CLO’s Family Teaching Model and Extended Family Teaching model and the quality outcomes sought and measured in each model. In the second paper, outcome data including quality ratings, satisfaction ratings, hours in the community, and staff turnover data measure the success of the models as compared to traditional models. In the third presentation, ten years of individual outcome data flag the success of the models and of individuals who “got a life”. Behavior analysts will learn about (a) evidenced-based residential services, where quality outcomes are continually measured and used to increase quality of service, (b) what the research literature says about “Quality of Life”, (c) collection, reliability, and use of daily behavioral data in applied settings, and (d) how contextual variables can have a great effect on behavior over time.

The Family Teaching Model: Family-Style Community-Included Teaching-Focused Outcome-Driven Living for People with Developmental Disabilities
HOLLY M. SWEENEY, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.
Diane Bannerman Juracek, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.
Michael C. Strouse, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.

People with severe developmental disabilities are continually challenged to find community residential options that meet their health, behavioral, and support needs, and also result in living a high quality of life. One aspect of quality of life is having staff who provide high quality support and teaching and have good longevity. This means that the residential model must be a “good fit” for staff. Community Living Opportunities, a residential service provider in Kansas, in cooperation with the University of Kansas’ Department of Applied Behavioral Science, has developed two residential models that help people with developmental disabilities and their staff to “Live the Good Life”. Residential models include the “Family Teaching Model”, where a family supports three people with disabilities living in an adjacent duplex, and the “Extended Family Teaching Model”, where a family and a person with a disability live together in the families’ home. This presentation will describe the characteristics of these models and the quality outcomes measured to assess the success of the models. This presentation will share research literature on the development of effective residential supports and will teach behavior analysts how challenging behavior, health care needs, and preferences of people with developmental disabilities can be supported by creating preferred living environments with staff who have similar interests.

'Living the Good Life': Comparing Quality of Life Indicators Across Four Different Residential Models
DIANE BANNERMAN JURACEK, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.
Jamie Price, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.
James A. Sherman, University of Kansas

Quality of life has many faces in the literature but shares characteristics like satisfaction with home, housemates, lifestyle, and the ability to access preferences, make choices, build and maintain relationships, and be a part of the community. For people with severe developmental disabilities, obtaining quality of life can be challenging due to lack of communication skills, physical disabilities, and challenging behaviors. One important way to enhance quality of life for people with developmental disabilities is to provide residential models that support individuals in obtaining a preferred lifestyle and then assessing quality of life indicators of those models. Data on staff turnover, outcome evaluations, staff stability, time in the community, and satisfaction ratings will be compared across four residential models, including the Family Teaching Model, the Extended Family, group homes, and apartment living. Literature on defining and measuring “Quality of Life” will be presented. Additionally this presentation will teach behavior analysts about evidenced-based assessment of residential services. Data comparing outcomes across residential measures will be shared, including discussions about the reliability and validity of those data.

'Living the Good Life': A Retrospective Analysis of Challenging Behaviors and Health Indicators for Individuals Across Residential Models
JAMIE PRICE, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.
Holly M. Sweeney, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.
Jan B. Sheldon, University of Kansas

In pursuit of a positive quality of life, community service providers have retooled residential models in a variety of ways ranging from large bed facilities to single person living arrangements. Community Living Opportunities has evaluated quality of life indicators across time and residential service models. In this presentation, we will review case studies of individuals with severe and multiple disabilities who have lived in a variety of service models. We will review variables we believe were significant in the improvement of their quality of life. Over ten years of data show that smaller family-supported models (Family Teaching Model) and a model in which a person lives in a family’s home (Extended Family Teaching) resulted in increased consumer satisfaction and decreases in dangerous maladaptive behaviors and use of restrictive procedures such as psychotropic medications and restraint. Longitudinal data will be presented for at least 10 individuals looking at two or more variables for each person. Behavior analysts will learn about how to collect daily data in small residential settings and how contextual variables can have a great effect on behavior over time.

In this symposium we consider the contingencies that impact the development of evidence-based practices in special education. We focus on special education because it has largely been ignored in the education reform efforts and, in many ways, it is a separate system from general education. We propose an expanded model of an evidence-based education approach; a continuum of rigor that allows decision makers when the best available evidence does not meet the most rigorous standards of research. Finally, we propose a set of steps that can be taken to build an evidence-based culture within special education.

An Expanded Model of Evidence-Based Practice in Special Education
RANDY KEYWORTH, The Wing Institute
Jack States, The Wing Institute
Ronnie Detrich, The Wing Institute

As the movement toward evidence-based education develops it is important to define what constitutes necessary and sufficient evidence. It is the perspective of this paper that the necessary demonstration of evidence is not only a demonstration that an intervention is efficacious (producing results in a controlled research setting) but it is also necessary to demonstrate that the intervention is effective (producing results when taken to scale and applied in typical educational settings). A demonstration that a procedure is efficacious is an important step but it is critical as evidence based procedures are applied more broadly that consideration is given to the various social and political contingencies that may ultimately impact the effectiveness of an intervention. A simple example is that an intervention that is efficacious but is not acceptable to teachers expected to implement it is not likely to produce the expected results because the teachers are not likely to implement the intervention with sufficient integrity to produce the results.           In addition to proposing a model of evidence-based practice that includes demonstrations of effectiveness, some of the commons social and political contingencies that may negatively impact wide scale implementation will be described. Examples of successful and unsuccessful large-scale implementation will be considered for illustrative purposes.

From Research to Practice: An Analysis of the Interaction Between the Research Community and Special Education Services
RONNIE DETRICH, The Wing Institute
Randy Keyworth, The Wing Institute
Jack States, The Wing Institute

One of the requirements of No Child Left Behind is that educators use scientifically based practices to improve the quality of education. In special education this poses some specific challenges. Among those challenges is that there is often an insufficient research base for making decisions especially if randomized trials is used as the primary basis for evaluating the evidence. In this paper we will propose a continuum of rigor that will allow educators to make decisions with the best available evidence although that evidence might not meet the gold standard.           We will also examine how fundamental characteristics of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) can impede important research in special education. While researchers are interested in identifying interventions that are efficacious for a defined population the mandate of IDEA is that interventions are evaluated at the level of an individual student.           Similarly, we will consider how the requirements of research can often be incompatible with the mandate to provide appropriate educational services for students in special education. One of the contingencies that impacts researchers is to have sufficient control over the independent and dependent variables so that causal relations can be inferred. As researchers move to working in more applied settings there is often a loss of experimental control so that causal inferences are more difficult. This can be especially true when group designs are used to evaluate interventions. We will propose alternatives that allow for evaluation of the impact of interventions on individual students.

Getting There from Here: Creating an Evidence-Based Culture Within Special Education
JACK STATES, The Wing Institute
Randy Keyworth, The Wing Institute
Ronnie Detrich, The Wing Institute

This paper will address steps that can be taken at different levels within special education to facilitate movement toward a more evidence-based culture.           One of the critical features of an evidence-based culture is that there is evidence for decision makers to evaluate and make decisions. A second critical feature is that the decision makers routinely interact with the important data. One approach that shows great promise for bringing decision makers into regular contact with data about student performance is curriculum-based measurement. This approach allows for decision makers to have information about each individual student in special education, which is consistent with the level of analysis mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Act.           Other levels within the special education system also require attention if evidence-based practice is to become the primary working model for decision making. As an example, the due process procedures built in as a safe-guard for parents has become so expensive for school districts that they often agree to settle disputes rather than proceed with a hearing to determine services. Problems arise when the settlement results in the adoption of unvalidated procedures.           At each level in the special education culture there exist obstacles to implementing evidence-based practices. This paper will provide suggestions for each level within the special education culture. From a systems perspective, it is important that each level of the system has pieces in place that promote evidence-based practices. Failing to do so will result in the ultimate collapse of an evidence-based culture.

This symposium will describe Spectrum Center including the services provided and location of these programs. We will describe new programs we have developed and how these programs are positively impacting the education of the students we serve. The programs we will discuss in detail are our program for students with Autism and our collaborative classrooms on public school campuses. Innovations in programs for students with Autism includes a discussion of a continuum of services well beyond early intervention. The collaborative model will describe our joint programs with the Mt Diablo Unified School District and how that program allows our students to benefit from a behavior analytic program while accessing their typically developing peers. We will also review how we monitor our programs to ensure a quality education for the students we serve.

Spectrum Center Inc.: Program Overview
ANDREW WEIHER, Spectrum Center, Inc.
Trish Gibson, Spectrum Center, Inc.
Carrie Borrero, Spectrum Center, Inc.

Spectrum Center, Inc. is an organization that specializes in serving children with special education needs since 1975. Spectrum Center currently operates six non-public schools and six satellite programs that provide services to students in over 50 school districts. Programs are designed for students ages 3-22 who engage in challenging behavior and have special educational needs representing a wide range of disabilities including: Asperger syndrome, autism, emotionally disturbed, Fragile X, hearing and visually impaired, mental retardation, and traumatic brain injury. Our schools offer education and related services that are outcome driven, research based, and utilize the principles of applied behavior analysis. We also provide a full continuum of educational services for children with Asperger syndrome and autism, including dedicated classrooms for early intervention, ages 8-12, and ages 13 and older. Services are also available for students on graduation track with a range of disabilities, as well as vocational training for those students who are on a certificate of completion. Starting at age 14, students receive comprehensive assessments to determine vocational strengths and interests that are then matched with vocational training and activities in the classroom on campus and/or paid work experience at local businesses.

Innovations in Monitoring Systems
JENNIFER CARVALHO, Spectrum Center, Inc.
Whitney O' Keefe, Spectrum Center, Inc.

Ongoing monitoring of staff behavior paired with feedback and training is essential to the success of a program. Spectrum Center has developed and implemented several systems for monitoring various aspects of our programs. These systems include Classroom Climate Data, which captures the rate of instructions and positive and negative statements to students; Communication Data which captures data on implementation of students’ communication training programs; Functional Analysis Checklist and Behavior Intervention Plan Checklist which guide Education Coordinators to evaluate the quality of Functional Analyses and Behavior Intervention Plans; and Individual Education Plan Checklist which guides Teachers and Education Coordinators to evaluate the Goals and Objectives of Individualized Education Plans. These monitoring systems will be discussed in this talk, as well as discussion of the importance of establishing and using data based systems to evaluate staff performance.

Innovations in Autism Programs
WHITNEY O' KEEFE, Spectrum Center, Inc.

As the number of students diagnosed with autism continues to increase, educators are seeing the need for new education service models for students diagnosed with Autism who have outgrown autism early intervention programs. Spectrum Center provides a full continuum of services for children with autism of all ages (early intervention, ages 8-12 and ages 13+). The continuum of services offers five curriculum models based on student’s ages and learning needs. The classrooms are dedicated to language development, social development, high rate learning trial, and use of Applied Behavior Analysis. Spectrum center provides higher ratios of staff to students and specified training for the staff members in the autism specific classrooms, as well as quality assurance checks that provide data for all of the classrooms. This paper will detail the continuum of services provided at Spectrum Center, the measures used to maintain quality with in the program and the training provided to staff members.

Collaborative Classrooms: A New Model
AMY CRYE, Spectrum Center, Inc.
Jennifer Carvalho, Spectrum Center, Inc.
Stephanie Chapralis, Spectrum Center, Inc.

Spectrum Center and the Mt Diablo Unified School District have worked together to develop a series of Spectrum Center-Mt Diablo collaboratives. Currently there are 5 collaborative classrooms in the Mt Diablo school district. These classrooms are on public school sites and are operated by Spectrum Center. These programs allow students who need behavioral support to remain (or be placed) at a public school site rather than being placed at a non-public or private school at a segregated site. This allows the students access to typically developing peers through assemblies, clubs/ extra-curricular activities, and mainstreaming. This paper will fully describe all 5 of the programs; the relationship between Spectrum, Mt Diablo Unified School District and the individual school sites; and collaboratives in other areas.

In 1840, a prison in Australia was the site of a novel administrative effort to reduce the brutality in the prison. It consisted of a “mark” system whereby prisoners could reduce their sentences by good behavior and hard work. After three years, the system was eliminated through bureaucratic decision. Also, in the 1800’s, a system of teaching was developed in England known as the Lancaster “Monitorial System.” In this system, students who excelled in a particular subject assisted in teaching 10 to 12 students. Both monitors and students were periodically examined and promoted or received a special prize for achievement. These efforts, antedating contemporary token economies, were concerned with social issues requiring practical solutions. On the other hand, the initial impetus of contemporary token economies came from efforts to apply operant methods largely derived from Skinner’s conceptualization and technology of behavior. Today, we have the luxury of selecting effective natural contingencies to strengthen or to weaken behavior or to utilize a token economy for the same goal. The choice is based largely on the social-cultural context of a given individual and his behavioral repertoire. Today, the art in behavioral applications comes in “customizing” interventions that look and sound genuine and real rather than “scientific” and laboratory based. A variety of such applications will be shown and discussed.

We will begin with a brief overview of the functional assessment procedures utilized in the following three case studies. The three case studies present data on behaviors of three children diagnosed with autism before and during implementation of behavior support plans. The implementers of the behavior support plan strategies in the first case study were undergraduate students, whereas in the second and third case study the implementers were parents. The first case study examines the effects of implementation of a behavior support plan on the occurrence of non-compliance and aggression during group preschool time and one-on-one teaching sessions for a 4-year-old boy. Baseline data included episodes of aggression and non-compliance ranging from 4-10 episodes per day. Aggression and non-compliance in the group setting were reduced to 0 episodes per day for 20 days. The second two case studies examine the effects of the implementation of a behavior support plan on the occurrence of tantrums, non-compliance and aggression at home. Baseline data for the 3-year-old boy included episodes of non-compliance in 17%-67% and tantrums in 8%-22% of intervals. Baseline data for the 4-year-old girl indicated that tantrums occurred in 30-42%, non-compliance occurred in 15-38%, and aggression occurred in 7-37% of the intervals. Data was collected on the accuracy with which the parents implemented the steps of the behavior plan. A quality of life survey and behavioral impact rating scale were collected before implementation and after. Reliability was collected on less than 10% of intervals, but interobserver agreement was 90%.

Habituation to Auditory Stimuli by Young Children with Autism Janice K. Doney and Patrick M. Ghezzi University of Nevada-Reno The effects of repeated presentations of auditory stimuli of varying intensities on an orient response (OR) and an ongoing operant response were compared in order to ascertain whether or not children with autism show any differences in their responses to those stimuli when compared to typically developing children. Children were exposed to a 3-sec auditory stimulus of narrow band frequency at intensities of 20, 40, and 60 dB. Stimuli were presented periodically and independently of VI 15 sec maintained responding. The intensity level of the auditory stimulus remained the same during each session and each child experienced a total of three sessions each consisting of twenty stimuli presented at each of the three intensity levels. The frequency of the OR and rate of the operant response in the presence and absence of the auditory stimulus were examined within-subject and within-triad in order to assess differences in children’s responding to the repeating stimulus.

As ABA providers, we excel in the treatment of children diagnosed with ASD. We can teach non-verbal children to communicate, reduce aggression to nearly non-existent levels, and can get even the most picky of eaters to try a vegetable. We work long and hard with our kids, often accompanying them throughout the majority of their waking hours. With all this effort and dedication, however, we often overlook the impact of the parents on our clients’ learning. We become so involved in the lives of our clients that parents come to depend on us for both treatment and parenting duties and thereby become systematically disempowered in their role as parents. With this disempowerment also comes disillusionment because we, as ABA providers, have failed to go beyond basic parent-training in order to manage parent expectations. So often, parents are hoping for recovery while we are focusing on building basic functional skills. As treatment proceeds, this process becomes more complex and parents often experience intense anxiety at the time of “fade-out” or progress-based transitions. As such, even the most positive child-outcome can result in a negative family-outcome making this a substantial area of study for clinicians working with children and families. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the psychology of parenting a child with special needs and to offer a Protocol for parent education and empowerment to be used in clinical practice with the ultimate goal of increasing lifelong independence for both child and family.

Positive reinforcement-based programs may be viewed as economic systems in which reinforcer consumption is affected by changes in response requirements. In economic terms, changes in response requirements are interpreted as alterations in the “price” of a reinforcer (i.e., “commodity”). As such, in positive reinforcement-based programs there is an interaction between spending (responses emitted) and consumption (reinforcers obtained) that is dependent upon changes in price (response requirements). Behavioral economics is a sub-field of behavior analysis in which responding is viewed as an interaction between price and consumption. Although relatively common in basic experimentation, behavioral economic principles have been underutilized in applied research. In this presentation, representative examples of applied behavioral economic research will be discussed. Each area of research involved the application of economic principles to the design and interpretation of reinforcement-based response programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. First, separate reinforcers were evaluated under progressive ratio requirements. This line of research shows how differentially preferred stimuli function as differentially effective reinforcers under increasing response requirements. In the second evaluation, adaptive responding was examined under open and closed economic systems. This research demonstrates how extra-experimental access to reinforcers might influence response acquisition. Finally, we examined the effects of adjusting the relative price of a reinforcer during differential reinforcement schedule thinning. This research suggests that adjusting reinforcement magnitude in response to increases in response requirements may affect treatment efficacy. The combined results will be discussed in terms of the potential utility of economic concepts in the design and development of reinforcement-based interventions.

The critical role of variation at the levels of biology, operant behavior and culture is explored in relation to the treatment of individual differences in American educational systems. Behavioral sets currently labeled as dyslexia, disgraphia and attention deficit disorder are examined in terms of their evolutionary history and their important contributions to the diversity of culture. There are multiple negative outcomes for individuals and society when we treat these sets as disorders. General educational approaches that embrace and incorporate the positive skills of children with these labels are presented along with ways to improve the deficits inherent in these behavioral sets. Children, school systems and the culture at large will benefit by analyzing differences as normal variations instead of disorders.

The Competent Learner Model (CLM) develops the repertoires needed to participate successfully in well designed instructional conditions in general and special education classrooms. The impact of the CLM in two early childhood education programs will be described. In both programs, the development of the Competent Learner Repertoires (CLRs) has resulted in learners who initially were missing or weak with respect to one or more of those repertoires developing those repertoires so as to successfully participate in general education environments. How the development of the CLRs produces these results and how that process influences the instructional practices of the educators in the special and general education settings involved will also be described.

Varying concurrent schedules within sessions and examining local choice following response-produced food and other stimuli, Davison and Baum obtained results that undermine both the notion of conditional reinforcement and the idea that reinforcers strengthen behavior they follow. First, when responses at the richer alternative produce brief stimuli more often than at the leaner alternative, the stimuli are followed by preference pulses toward the richer alternative even though they are never paired with food, and when responses produce brief stimuli paired with food more often at the leaner alternative they are followed by preference pulses toward the other alternative. These results contradict the notion of conditional reinforcement. Second, although food delivery generates a preference pulse to the alternative that gave food when food itself signals higher likelihood of food, when food delivery signals a lower likelihood of food, it is followed by a preference pulse to the other alternative. In traditional terms, this would mean that “reinforcers” sometimes “reinforce” and sometimes do not. Although one might suppose that reinforcers and conditional reinforcers have discriminative properties additional to their reinforcing properties, these results suggest that the discriminative properties alone suffice. They make us confront the possibility that the 100-year old concept has outlived its usefulness. Perhaps instead stimuli (including “reinforcers” themselves) simply signal what to do for more of the same. Perhaps so-called “reinforcers” are simply highly attractive events, and perhaps behavior is simply guided toward them by discriminative stimuli. Such an approach explains many known phenomena.

In behavior analysis, language has been viewed as no different in its operative properties than other forms of behavior. The term verbal behavior has been used instead of language to suggest its environmental determination and move away from more traditional structuralist approaches. Skinner (1957) classified units of verbal behavior according to their relations to the environment; he referred to these functional relations as verbal operants. Over the years, researchers have evaluated specific procedures to develop verbal operants, as well as studied the relations among them. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce a working model of language development that suggests possible interrelations among verbal operants. This model may serve to guide research in the area of verbal behavior. Examples of research on automatic reinforcement, intraverbal relations, and naming will be presented. Other areas of needed research in the analysis of verbal behavior will also be discussed.

This symposium will include three papers on various dimensions of applied behavior analysis as laid out by Baer, Wolf and Risley (1968). The first paper addresses how response rate affects interoberver agreement (reliability). The second paper addresses the inclusion of social validation in research published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. The third paper addresses the notion of treatment integrity by reporting on what happens when treatments are temporarily discontinued due to holidays. Finally, the discussant will provide insightful interpretation and synetheses of the three papers and provide suggestions for future research.

Response-Rate Influences on the Calculation of Interobserver Agreement
NATALIE U. ROLIDER, University of Florida
Brian A. Iwata, University of Florida
Christopher E. Bullock, University of Florida

We compared four commonly used methods for calculating observer reliability: total, interval, exact, and proportional agreement. Trained observers used PDAs to record computer-generated session data appearing on a separate computer screen. In study 1, two target events (responses) were programmed to occur at different rates (low, moderate, high) during each session so that reliability could be compared across a range of values. Interobserver agreement was calculated using each the four methods listed above. Exact agreement yielded the most conservative results, especially for high-rate responding, but proportional agreement was the most representative. In study 2, the separate effects of bursting and end-of-interval responding were evaluated with a moderate-rate response. Response bursting had little effect on interobserver agreement scores; however, the distribution of some responses at the ends of intervals significantly decreased interval, proportional, and exact agreement.

Social Validity and Applied Behavior Analysis
MITCH J. FRYLING, University of Nevada, Reno
Michele D. Wallace, California State University, Los Angeles
Erin Pitts, University of Nevada, Reno

The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) has published a number of studies demonstrating the efficacy of applications of behavioral principles to socially relevant phenomena. A number of populations (e.g., autism, severe mental illnesses) and behaviors have been studied during this effort. Additionally, comprehensive technologies have been developed during this time (e.g., functional analysis of problem behavior, reinforcer identification methods). Many of these studies have vast social implications that may increase the quality of life for many. However, applied behavior analysis has yet to be accepted by many within mainstream psychology. Even within demonstrated areas of application (i.e., developmental disabilities and autism) behavior analysis has not reached its potential. The extent to which researchers are studying socially relevant populations, evaluating social validity, generalization, utilizing caregivers/staff as therapists, conducting research in the natural environment, and measuring/evaluating long-term treatment outcome may effect this. Thus, the current paper will evaluate the first five years and most recent five years of JABA along these dimensions.

Analysis of the Effects of Decreases in Treatment Hours During Early Intervention for Children with Autism
SIENNA GREENER-WOOTEN, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.
Rachel S. F. Tarbox, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.
Jonathan Tarbox, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.
Helen Yoo, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.
Doreen Granpeesheh, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.

There is no consensus regarding the optimum number of hours per week of ABA based intervention for children diagnosed with autism. Previous authors have suggested that more than ten hours per week of ABA treatment is necessary to affect significant change (e.g. Lovaas, O.I., 1987; Smith et al, 1997), however, one study found no correlation between change in IQ scores and number of intervention hours per week (Sheinkopf & Siegel, 1998). There are a number of ways to interpret this finding (e.g. perhaps more impaired children received more intensive therapy), but no one has empirically evaluated this as of yet. Moreover, other previous investigators have suggested that 30 to 40 hours per week of therapy results in the greatest treatment gains (for a review see Smith 1999), however often times this recommended level of intervention is not met. Decrements in treatment hours resulting from circumstances such as decreases in funding for services or frequent or prolonged absences from treatment (i.e., for vacation or due to illness) often occur. However, the effects of such circumstances on treatment efficacy have yet to be evaluated. An analysis on the effects of decreases in number of treatment hours per week on accuracy of performance on previously mastered tasks and problem behavior will be presented.

When Facilitated Communication (FC) first swept through North America in the early 1990s, a few behavior analysts were among the first to call for and conduct scientific tests to determine who was authoring FC messages. Behavior analysis as a field, however, was rather slow to respond to this damaging craze: the Association for Behavior Analysis was the last of several professional organizations to issue a position statement to the effect that FC has no scientific validity or reliability and should not be used on people with disabilities. The history of FC and its recent resurgence hold a number of potentially valuable lessons for behavior analysts who are concerned about the spread of pseudoscientific interventions and social movements in autism and other arenas. This presentation will draw some of those lessons from the experiences of someone who has studied FC and related phenomena for over a decade as a researcher, expert witness, and autism advocate.

The Competent Learner Model (CLM) arose from a convergence of both rule-governed and contingency shaped behavior. The rule-governed component was derived from B. F. Skinner’s “The Technology of Teaching”, while the contingency shaped component derived from the observation and management of Learner’s in classroom environments. The emergent competent learner model (CLM) applies Skinner’s concept of “repertoires” to the development of learning-to-learn competencies that support all aspects of effective, life-long learning and functioning. This presentation will be delivered in two parts that (1) provide an overview of the unique make up of the CLM, and (2) compare and contrast some of the CLM’s characteristics to those of more typical, content focused early intervention programs.

Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) has been shown in numerous studies to be the treatment of choice for young children with autism. Historically, EIBI has been primarily delivered in individual families' homes, private schools, or university centers. While producing successful outcomes for many children with autism, this service delivery model presents problems for families living in rural environments that are distant from service delivery centers and for families that are unable to access these services for other reasons such as financial constraints or enrollment limits. To address these challenges, we have been developing a consultation model to help school districts build and maintain EIBI programs using school district personnel. Specifics of this consultation model and preliminary data documenting its success will be presented and discussed. Challenges we have encountered and questions that remain to be addressed will also be described.

Interest in response-independent reinforcement, RIR, (and more recently, noncontingent reinforcement, NCR) probably originated with the classic study by B. F. Skinner (1948), “Superstition” in the pigeon. Following the publication of Skinner’s seminal work, a variety of research studies provided additional explanations of Skinner’s observed effects (e.g., Staddon & Simulhag, 1971; Timberlake & Lucas, 1985) and continued to examine additional effects of RIR. RIR and NCR have remained controversial as terms (Carr, 1996) and as to what factors (e.g., satiation, extinction, contiguity) play what role in RIR/NCR (Ecott & Critchfield, 2004). In addition, although NCR has been found to be an effective treatment for a variety of undesirable behaviors maintained by various types of reinforcement (e.g., social positive, social negative, and automatic) short–term, long-term outcomes are questionable. In fact over 100 research articles have been published on the topic of RIR/NCR in the basic and applied literature combined. This address will a) trace a history of the basic research on RIR (and NCR), b) speak to the mechanisms for behavioral reduction, c) evaluate the effectiveness of NCR, and d) make suggestions for future research based on the synthesis of the basic and applied literature.

I will describe a generic, three-phase model of learning, including initial instruction, practice, and application. I will then describe an application of this model for teaching reading comprehension, including effective use of (1) programed instruction methodologies for designing instruction, (2) advanced direct instruction procedures for establishing comprehension skills and strategies, (3) frequency and celeration building procedures for creating fluent performance, and (4) delayed prompting procedures for producing successful application of comprehension skills and strategies. Are there currently existing commercially available reading programs that can be used to implement the generic model? I have selected some reading comprehension programs (1) according to the ease with which they could be supplemented to implement the generic model described above, and (2) by comparing them with the criteria developed by the US government's 2001 congressional reading panel investigation. I will describe where these programs require supplementary materials and procedures, and what can be done to supplement them. Data will be presented throughout the address. BCBAs and BCABAs will learn how to broaden their serivces to clients with reading instruction and practice, in addition to their typical behavioral objectives.

The economic demand law holds that as the price of a commodity increases, consumption of that good will decrease. One variable affecting the functional price of a commodity is the delay until the receipt of the good. Many studies have now demonstrated that individuals who do not tolerate delays very well are destined to experience problems ranging from academic and peer difficulties to substance abuse. From an economic perspective, these individuals are not willing to pay the price necessary to obtain socially appropriate outcomes; instead opting for more immediate rewards that have probabilistic negative outcomes. New but limited evidence suggests that the intolerance to delay may be genetically determined and appears to be predictive of drug taking. These findings and an examination of the role that impulsive decision making may play in susceptibility to pathological gambling will be discussed along with possible treatments inspired by research conducted in the basic animal laboratory.

The late Ernst Moerk was a participant in CalABA. He published extensively on first language acquisition and developed an approach that was consistent with behavior analysis. His skills learning view of language acquisition challenged the hegemony of nativist accounts and influenced many behavior analysts. This paper will detail a skills learning approach to language development, in general, and Moerk's research, in particular. Moerk's contributions to and criticisms of behavior analysis will also be presented. The relationship of Moerk's findings and a behavior analysis of development will also be discussed.

Skinner’s book Verbal Behavior is viewed as a functional analysis of language from the perspective of an individual speaker. Skinner himself promoted this view. For instance, in his 1989 article “The Behavior of the Listener,” he wrote: “Most of my book Verbal Behavior (1957) was about the speaker. It contained a few diagrams showing interactions between speakers and listeners but little direct discussion of listening.” Skinner also indicated that his definition of verbal behavior applied only to speaking. He explained: “Our definition of verbal behavior applies only to the speaker…Much of the behavior of the listener has no resemblance to the behavior of the speaker and is not verbal, according to our definition.” This emphasis on the behavior of the speaker has prompted some behavior analysts to criticize Verbal Behavior for its apparent neglect of the listener (cf., Hayes and Hayes,1989). Nevertheless, a close inspection of Skinner’s elementary verbal operants reveals that most serve to mediate reinforcement for another person and may therefore be viewed simultaneously as both speaker and listener behavior; thus, speaking and listening are not functionally distinct. Rather than speaking versus listening, the categories that complement one another in a functional sense may be manding versus pliance (i.e., mand compliance). This distinction appears to be supported by Skinner’s familiar point that mands function for the benefit of the speaker, whereas the other verbal operants function mainly for the benefit of the listener.

Translational research is a way of 'bridging' basic research and application. In this presentation a research program dedicated to translational research is described. The model includes a continuum from basic animal research, to human operant research, to analog application, to large scale application. In the animal and human operant labs, nuances of reinforcement schedules commonly used as behavioral treatment are examined. For example, does whole-interval differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) work better than momentary DRO? In analog application, controlled evaluations of behavioral assessment and treatments are conducted. For example, what happens to differential reinforcement efficacy when mistakes are made during treatment? In the large scale applications, basic principles of behavior analysis are used to affect change across an entire program of care (child welfare in Florida). For example, does the implementation of differential reinforcement in foster homes reduce the likelihood of a foster child being moved from one home to another? Using the presenter's research program as a forum for discussion, limitations and advantages of behavioral research methodology for translational research will be outlined. This discussion is designed to inform BCBAs of the important link between basic and applied research.

A number of studies have examined a variety of methodologies for teaching isolated shopping skills (Morse et al., 1996). Fewer studies describe interventions that enable participants to successfully respond to novel situations or unexpected encounters that often occur when shopping. The following intervention taught the specific skills needed to complete a task analysis for community-based shopping. In addition, the intervention incorporated self-management, social awareness, and problem-solving strategies to further the participants’ ability to independently participate in community shopping activities. Three adolescent students with autism participated in the study. A multiple baseline across participants design was utilized to evaluate the intervention’s effectiveness. For each of the participants, training was conducted in one setting with concurrent generalization probes taken in additional community stores. Results demonstrated skill acquisition for all three students with generalization across settings. Follow-up data will be presented. Interobserver agreement data was collected for each participant and will be reported. The need for comprehensive treatment packages designed to enhance participants’ competence, community presence, community participation, and decision-making will be discussed.

Using a pairwise comparative design, we evaluated the conditions under which problem behavior (e.g., screaming and kicking) was occasioned and reinforced during travel, by car, for one child diagnosed with Autism. Low levels of responding were observed during the control condition (i.e., the car remained in motion and no differential consequences were associated with problem behavior). During the accelerate condition (the car was stopped and problem behavior resulted in resumption of movement for a brief period), differentially higher levels of problem behavior were observed. Thus, we concluded that problem behavior was occasioned by stopping the progress of the vehicle, and reinforced by resumption of movement. A brief treatment evaluation involving extinction and differential reinforcement of other behavior resulted in decreased levels of problem behavior.

This procedure examined the effects of discrimination training on a young child with autism’s behavior in a classroom setting. Prior to implementation, the young learner engaged in problem behavior (e.g., crying, whining, obsessively raising/shaking his hand, inappropriately asking for assistance) when presented with worksheets in his typical classroom. The procedure taught the eight year old boy to correctly label problems on worksheets as either easy or difficult for him to complete. He was then instructed to complete the easy problems without assistance and would subsequently be provided help for the more difficult problems. Once this academic self-management skill was mastered, problem behavior in the classroom decreased and appropriate behaviors increased.

Urinary incontinence has been shown to be a pervasive problem in children with autism. Incontinence can affect a child both socially and in terms of risk of infectious diseases transmitted through bodily waste (Berk & Friman, 1990). Surveys have reported that anywhere from 50 -70% of all children with autism have difficulties with toileting (Whitely, 2004; Horvath, Papadimitriou, Rabsztyn, Drachenberg & Tildon, 1999). Recent research conducted with an adult with developmental disabilities demonstrated that wearing diapers may occasion urinary accidents (Tarbox, Williams & Friman, 2004). In the current investigation a reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of wearing a diaper during toilet training for a young child diagnosed with autism. Results suggest that wearing a diaper may increase the likelihood of urinary incontinence. Moreover, successful voids increased during the course of evaluation. Treatment, follow-up, reliability and integrity data will be presented.

Individuals with autism and related disabilities often display stereotypic behavior. Stereotypy is typically defined as repetitive or invariant behavior that serves no apparent social function (e.g., Lovaas, Newsom & Hickman, 1987). Previous research has been conducted using non-contingent reinforcement (NCR) as a treatment for stereotypical behavior, but the results of these investigations have been mixed. Other treatment components are often necessary, such as response blocking, protective equipment, or punishment. The purpose of the current investigation was to examine some of the variables that may contribute to the treatment of stereotypy displayed by a young child with autism. A reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of NCR, time-out and corrective feedback on rates of eye stereotypy, which was defined as bearing the eyes in the corner of the eye socket so that the iris of the eye was against the far corner (i.e. no white was showing at the corner of the eye). Interobserver agreement (IOA) was assessed for 35% of sessions and the mean percentage of agreement of 92%. Results suggest that a combination of NCR, non-exclusionary time-out and corrective feedback may have been responsible for the reduction in stereotypy.

Despite the many proposed advantages of training parents as change agents for their child, the parent training literature suffers from many shortcomings that render the reader’s ability to arrive at conclusive decisions. Reviews of the parent training research (e.g., Dell 1985; Wiese, 1992) highlight many shortcomings in the research methods that have been employed to evaluate the effects of behavioral parent training. For example, many research studies suffer from parental report as the primary means of treatment evaluation, pre-post designs, and a lack of the description of the process of parent training. Related to the later shortcoming, it has been highlighted that the parent training research suffers from an over reliance on reporting data about child behavior change rather than specific changes in parent behavior that led to child behavior changes (Moreland, Schwebel, Beck, & Wells, 1982). This shortcoming may be due to the lack of available observation systems for coding parent and child interactions. This poster will outline an observation system to code the complex interactions that occur between a parent and their child and show data to support the use of this coding system to observe specific changes in parental behaviors that lead to child behavior change.

While applied research studies are evaluating ways in which undesirable side effects of extinction (specifically, escape extinction) can be attenuated (e.g., Lerman, Iwata, Shore, & Kahng, 1996), little research has been conducted with respect to how escape extinction procedures are implemented and, further, how different procedures for implementing escape extinction differentially affect the occurrence of extinction bursts and extinction-induced aggression. Hence, the purpose of this study was to extend the research in this area. This study evaluated the effects of two different escape extinction procedures (physical guidance and continuous prompting) on the occurrence of extinction bursts and extinction-induced aggression with a 6-year-old girl who engages in escape-maintained problem behavior. Results indicated that there was more problem behavior in the physical guidance condition than in the repeated prompting condition; however, the percentage of compliance with task demands was similar in both conditions. Interobserver agreement (IOA) was collected for more than 30% of all sessions; the mean IOA score for rate of problem behavior was 90% while the mean IOA score for percentage of compliance was 96%.

The ultimate goal of intensive, ABA-based, early intervention services for young children with autism is admission to typical kindergarten or first grade, with little or no supports. Initially, however, the intervention is usually comprised of 1:1 teaching interactions, either in a home-based or a segregated, center-based program. At some point during the intervention process, decisions are made by relevant individuals (e.g., senior clinical staff, parents, other service providers) regarding the learner’s readiness to make the transition to a small group preschool or inclusion environment. Many professionals refer to readiness criteria (e.g., Johnson, Mayer, & Taylor, 1996) to help guide that decision-making process. To date, however, the empirical validation of specific readiness criteria, those behavioral characteristics that may predict success in a less restrictive educational environment, has not been thoroughly conducted. The present study examines 12 behavioral characteristics and the relative efficacy of each in predicting success as a young child with autism (i.e., under three years old) moves from 1:1 teaching interactions to a small group setting. The results suggest that specific behavioral criteria are predictive when success is defined as following group instructions and participating in pre-school routines without extra-teacher support.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of a stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure will lead to echoic or manding behavior faster than direct echoic training in young Autistic children with limited vocal repertoires. Participants will be 2 children between the ages of 2 and 3.5 years of age, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The children in this study display very limited vocal play, do not demonstrate any vocal verbal imitation skills, and have yet to show any speaker behavior. This study will employ a single-subject design with alternating treatments (stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure and direct echoic training) presented consecutively. The dependent variable will be the total number of target vocalizations uttered by each participant. The independent variables will be each of the alternating treatments presented. This research adds to the existing body of behavior analytic knowledge since it addresses an area that has not yet been studied – that of the effects of automatic reinforcement on the subsequent acquisition of echoic or manding verbal behavior. In addition, the findings from such a study may contribute to the development of better methods for teaching these elementary verbal operants to children who have traditionally had difficulty acquiring verbal skills. If there is, in fact, a difference in the acquisition rate of manding and/or echoic verbal behavior between subjects that are exposed to an automatic reinforcement procedure and those trained directly, changes may be necessary in the teaching strategies currently implemented for children with Autism.

Exploring the efficacy of linking functional behavioral assessment results to self-management strategies Introduction Many children with autism engage in challenging behaviors, including aggression, self injury, and severe tantrums, (Durand & Merges, 2001) that interfere with educational and adaptive behavior instruction in educational settings. These behaviors impact how children with autism are serviced in school settings. Children with autism often engage in behaviors that cause distractions for general education classrooms and in mainstream settings. These behaviors lead to suspensions, change of placements and occasionally expulsions. Current research indicates a growing trend with utilizing the results of functional assessments to target intervention strategies. Moreover, researchers have begun to investigate the relationship of functional assessment results with the implementation of self-management techniques. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of a self-management intervention based on functional assessment results in promoting long lasting behavior change. Specifically, the study examined the effects of self-monitoring and self-recording procedures on decreasing target behaviors and the maintenance of desired behavior change using self-management strategies.

The St. Amant ABA Program is a home-based preschool program funded by the Provincial Government of Manitoba. Fifty six children have completed their first of three years in the program. Their progress was measured by criterion and standardized measures administered at intake and at six months (ABLLS) and one year of participation in the program.           The following criterion measures have been used: Skills according to the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills - ABLLS Discrimination abilities as measures by the Assessment of Basic Learning Skills – ABLA Test The following standardized measures have been used: Cognitive skills: Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence – WPPSI-III Development: Battelle Developmental Inventory – BDI Speech and Language: Preschool Language Scale – PLS-4 Autism characteristics: Childhood Autism Rating Scale – CARS Analyses of outcomes using the above-mentioned measures indicate that all 56 participants gained skills during their first year in the program. Age-equivalents were the most significantly affected measures. Results are presented in graphs depicting outcomes of the group in all cited measures, including developmental rates per year.

Children with autism commonly have difficulty engaging in appropriate play with toys and also interactive play with peers. They often play repetitively with toys and fail to comprehend the unpredictable actions and perspective of others. These challenges are often present during non-structured school activities such as free play and recess. At these times, children with autism frequently miss learning opportunities to improve their play skills and therefore need adult prompting to facilitate appropriate play. This study used a multiple-baseline design to teach three boys with autism to follow a picture activity schedule and to engage with the toys during non-structured classroom routines. Following the implementation of the activity schedules the children demonstrated improvements in their play skills. They increased the duration of appropriate play with toys and demonstrated instances of social interactions with peers. Generalization of skills to novel toys was also noted for the participant children. The findings support the use of visual support to increase appropriate play skills for young children with autism. The intervention also presents an effective strategy to increase independence and reduce reliance on adults for children with autism in classroom settings.

Transient messages and non-transient messages are processed by individuals with Autism and individuals with other challenging behaviors differently, which affects their level of motivation to complete tasks and their ability to transition between activities. The application of a brief stimulus preference assessment procedure using a visual support system, help motivate students to initiate and complete complex tasks and transition from one activity to the next. The poster presentation will include two case studies that illustrate the use of the 'Let's Make A Deal' board--a brief stimulus preference assessment procedure using communication and visual strategies. The case studies show how the visual representation (non-transient messages translated to transient messages) of the reinforcer board help individuals with Autism and individuals with other challenges process non-transient messages, and thus help increase their likelihood of success in completing tasks and transitioning from one activity to the next.

The St. Amant ABA Program is a home-based preschool program funded by the Provincial Government of Manitoba. Thirty three children have completed their second of three years in the program. Their progress was measured by criterion and standardized measures administered at intake and at six months (ABLLS) and one year of participation in the program.           The following criterion measures have been used: Skills according to the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills - ABLLS Discrimination abilities as measures by the Assessment of Basic Learning Skills – ABLA Test The following standardized measures have been used: Cognitive skills: Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence – WPPSI-III Development: Battelle Developmental Inventory – BDI Speech and Language: Preschool Language Scale – PLS-4 Autism characteristics: Childhood Autism Rating Scale – CARS Analyses of outcomes using the above-mentioned measures indicate that all 33 participants gained skills during their first two years in the program. Age-equivalents were the most significantly affected measures. Results are presented in graphs depicting outcomes of the group in all cited measures, including developmental rates per year.

Children with autism exhibit deficits in the imitation and spontaneous use of descriptive, conventional, and affective gestures both in structured settings and in more natural contexts such as play with others. Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT), a recently designed naturalistic imitation intervention, has been shown to increase spontaneous, generalized object imitation skills in young children with autism during play. This study assessed whether RIT could be adapted to target the imitation of symbolic gestures in young children with autism. The study employed a single-subject, multiple baseline design across five young children with autism. All of the participants increased their imitation of gestures in the treatment setting and on a structured imitation assessment. All participants generalized these gains to novel materials, a therapist, and a setting. One-month follow-up data indicated that all children maintained their gains in imitation. In addition, participants exhibited increases in their spontaneous use of symbolic gestures. These results provide support for the effectiveness of a naturalistic behavioral intervention at teaching gesture imitation and offer a new and potentially important treatment option for young children who are not yet imitating or using symbolic gestures.

We designed a behavioral skills training program to teach young children with autism to provide affirmations during a conversational exchange with one or more partners. Children were first taught to discriminate examples and non-examples during scripted social interactions. The children were then instructed to make both vocal and nonvocal affirmations at a specified criterion level during specified conversational opportunities. Correct responses were followed by token reinforcement and feedback. Criteria were 80% correct responses across 4 separate conversations with 2 different conversational partners. Token reinforcement was then delayed until after these conversational exchanges and then eliminated. Probes showed that affirmations were maintained over a 4 week period.

We designed a behavior skills training program to teach young children with autism to make responses to “hidden” mands during conversations with one or more partners. Children were first taught to identify the “hidden” mand during scripted social interactions. The children were then instructed to rehearse responding to “hidden” mands at a certain criterion level during specified conversational opportunities. Criteria was set at 80% correct responses across 2 different conversational partners. Probes showed that correct responses were made to novel “hidden” mands over a 4 week period following training.

This study used a multiple baseline design to investigate the effects of multiple trainers on the acquisition and generalization of greeting responses with four adolescents with autism and developmental disabilities. It extended the findings of Stokes, Baer, and Jackson (1974) by demonstrating variable effects across the four participants which required modifications to the training procedures, both in training and generalization settings. Additionally, social validity measures were included which provided valuable information for future practitioners who would be interested in teaching spontaneous greetings. Overall, identification of establishing operations in the teaching of greeting responses is proffered as an important variable in determining the success of similar training package.

The use of response cost procedures to successfully reduce various problem behaviors has been well documented (Miltenberger, 2001). One of the issues that must be considered when implementing a response cost program is the “social validity” of such a procedure. If the change agent cannot carry out the procedure or if the change agent does not find the procedure acceptable, alternative programs should be considered. The following investigation employed a non-concurrent, multiple baseline design to evaluate the effectiveness of a response cost procedure to decrease disruptive classroom behavior exhibited by two participants with autism. A visual aid in the form of a “Response Clock” was used to facilitate teacher implementation of the procedure. Results demonstrated notable reductions in problem behaviors with the use of the procedure. Social validity data indicated that teachers and caregivers found the use of the procedure highly acceptable and practical for classroom use. The utility of the Response Clock procedure and issues regarding the use of response cost procedures will be discussed.

Parent training has long been recognized an as effective intervention for child behavior problems (e.g., Berkowitz & Graziano, 1972; Kazdin, 1993; Forehand & Kotchick, 1996). Despite the many proposed advantages of training parents as change agents for their child, the parent training literature suffers from many limitations and the research appears to be waning in recent years (Todreas & Bunston, 1993). The observed decrease in parent training studies may be the result of a multitude of factors related to parent training, including high attrition. This poster will highlight some of these factors in light of the data of a recently conducted study in the area of parent training. Data will be presented to speak to the high attrition rates that are found in the area of parent training and suggestions for future research in light of these findings will be presented.           

A dysfunction in social skills is thought by many to be the defining feature in autism. Early elementary school age neuro-typical children can talk about their feelings, discern the feelings of others, and adjust their behavior accordingly. In contrast, studies have indicated that early social skills involving such theory of mind activities are areas of deficiency in young children with autism. In a study of 8 early elementary school students, five diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and three with emotional disturbance attending the same non-public school classroom, a combination of instruction, priming, and reinforcement was utilized to increase the frequency of pre-determined pro-social classroom behaviors such as asking a peer to play or admitting a mistake. Results indicated that the strategies increased pro-social classroom behaviors overall with more frequent demonstration of the behaviors occurring among the three emotionally disturbed students.

Children with autism are often visual learners and the use of computers may be an effective and efficient tool for teaching this population. However, it is unclear whether or not computers prohibit or facilitate language and social opportunities. In a multiple-baseline study, 4 children with autism were videotaped interacting with their parents either playing with toys or using the TeachTown software program with their parents. Increases were observed in joint attention, positive affect, and commenting. Decreases in inappropriate language and behaviors were observed. This data, in conjunction with other research studies using computers with children with autism, suggests that computers might actually increase, rather than decrease, language and social opportunities. The use of computers in treatment for children with autism will be discussed.

This study monitored weight, Body Mass Index, and percent excess weight changes in 15 clients, (11 females, 4 males) at about 1 year and 2.5 years following participation in the Weight Control for Life! Program. The Program integrates the habit reversal treatment model with contingency management and operant reinforcement principles; nutrition education; physical activity; stress management; cognitive-restructuring; relapse prevention; social support; intensive, on-going maintenance; self-monitoring; and the use of a medically supervised very-low-calorie diet or low-calorie-diet. Clients' pretreatment and posttreatment weights averaged 104.28 kg (229.42 lb) and 79.89 kg (175.76 lb) respectively, representing a 68% reduction in excess body weight at the end of the weight loss phase of the Program. Mean weight loss at about 1 year and 2.5 years post weight loss was 19.28 kg (42.42 lb) and 13.09 kg (28.80 lb), indicating subjects maintained 75% and 52% of their weight losses at these two time periods. Men lost more weight and maintained better losses than women. Overall, there was a 41% reduction in excess body weight at the end of 2.5 years.

Because preschool is usually a child’s first introduction to a teacher, there may be some initial behavioral problems that arise. Errorless compliance training, which uses positive methods of behavior change to increase child compliance, may be an effective method to reduce these behavioral problems, but there is a lack of applied research addressing noncompliance in school settings. Bradley et al. (2005) indicated that errorless compliance training may be an effective and appropriate method of increasing child compliance in a school setting. The present study is a modified replication of Bradley et al. Procedural changes included the elimination of the time consuming request assessment phase and the use of three levels of requests instead of four, which were rank ordered based on the individual child’s ability to comply with varying requests. This shorter form of errorless compliance training increases applicability in a class setting where time is limited. The teacher request observations were separated from controlled sessions and other high frequency maladaptive behaviors were added. The present study examined the effectiveness of a brief form of errorless compliance training on noncompliance and other maladaptive behaviors of three preschool-aged, typically developing children in a preschool setting. The percentages of the participants’ compliance and maladaptive behaviors during controlled sessions and natural observations are presented in both text and graph formats.

Events delivered on time-based schedules have been found to produce response persistence when these schedules are temporally similar to response-dependent schedules that precede them. The extent to which response persistence would be observed under response-independent schedules, when combined with response-dependent schedules has been an area of appreciably less applied research. We will report the effects of conjoint schedules (i.e., response-independent and response-dependent schedules) on task completion (i.e., vocational tasks) performed by individuals diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Results will be discussed in terms of the role of response-independent (free) events on response output.

Noncompliance is a common problem exhibited by preschool-aged children in daycare settings. Previous research suggests that time-out contingencies are necessary for meaningful gains in compliance. One problem with using time-out procedures in the classroom is that many children resist time-out, and staff may not be able to enforce time-out contingencies. One approach, Errorless Compliance Training (ECT), eliminates the need for time-out contingencies by combining graduated request delivery and positive reinforcement. ECT has been demonstrated as an effective treatment for noncompliance with both typycially developing and developementally delayed children in home and classroom settings. One limitation of ECT is that gains in compliance to low probability requests may not be observed for 4 to 8 weeks. Two factors may contribute to the length of treatment: a lengthy request assessment phase and the availability of a competing reinforcer for noncompliance in the form of escape from demands. The present study examined an abbreviated form of ECT (i.e., elimination of the request assessment phase) combined with guided compliance. Results are discussed in terms of advantages and disadvantages of these modifications, and the practicality of using the treatment in a classroom setting.

Thumb and fingersucking are probably the first habits identified by parents of young children. These problems have been shown to cause and aggravate dental and speech problems in addition to being aesthetically unappealing. Because approximately 4o% of children up through five years of age have these problems, a variety of interventions have been developed to treat them. The most researched and effective operant approach to thumbsucking has been the habit reversal method. The method was found effective in eliminating thumbsucking of two normal children (Azrin and Nunn, 1973) and was subsequently evaluated more fully with normal children by using a larger number of subjects and also providing a comparison with the commonly used method of painting the thumb and fingers with a bitter tasting substance, Azrin, Nunn, and Frantz-Renshaw, (1980). The present study of 8 children evaluated the effectiveness of parents in directly treating their child=s thumbsucking using the Habit Reversal Manual for Treating Thumbsucking combined with basic child development and behaviorally-oriented parent education information. The use of the Habit Reversal Manual for Treating Thumbsucking combined with basic parent education information was extremely effective in eliminating the thumbsucking of all 8 children for the duration of the 12 month follow up. The magnitude of the reduction by the combined habit reversal method was substantial and immediate in that the mean reduction of sucking was 80% on the first day and progressively increased to a 100% reduction at the 1 month follow up. At the 6 month and twelve month follow ups, all eight of the children were no longer thumbsucking, as reported by their parents and corroborated by their dentist.

Escape-maintained problem behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior, property destruction) in students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities is challenging for teachers to manage. Functional communication training (FCT) teaches students a new communicative behavior that replaces the problem behavior by serving its same function. FCT as an intervention for escape-maintained problem behavior can be limited because students have continued access to breaks from demands, which reduces time available for instructional opportunities. Most-to-least (MTL) prompting of academic responses is a prompting strategy that provides students with the most amount of prompting needed to perform a task and then fades prompts given increased academic responding. This study compared the relative effects of FCT and MTL on levels of problem behavior and academic responses by two students with severe disabilities (ages 11 and 18). Functional analyses of problem behavior confirmed escape as at least one function of each participant’s problem behavior. Results of a reversal design analysis indicated that both FCT and MTL reduced problem behavior from baseline levels without an appreciable difference between the two interventions. Most-to-least prompting produced higher levels of academic responses in comparison with the FCT condition. The results are discussed in terms of most-to-least prompting bringing students into contact with the academic response-reinforcer relationship and weakening the aversive establishing operations evoking the escape behavior.

Pica is a potentially life-threatening behavior problem displayed by many children with developmental disabilities that can result in serious medical complications. The purpose of this study was to compare a functional analysis (FA), which is the choice method of assessment in behavior analysis, with indirect assessment measures: the Motivational Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF). For two participants, results from the indirect measured paralleled those of the FA in identifying that pica was automatically reinforced. Additionally, use of the indirect measures were more cost and time efficient. Use of these indirect methods of assessment not only identified the functional relations that served to maintain pica, but also served as a simpler, yet less time consuming accurate alternative to a functional analysis. When FA is time or cost prohibitive, use of the MAS and QABF may be helpful in suggesting the function of pica.

To be considered competent to stand trial an individual must be able to (1) understand the nature of the criminal trial process and (2) be able to cooperate with his/her lawyer to prepare a defense. If an individual is deemed incompetent to stand trial by the court system, the individual is unable to continue in the trial process until they have received proper training. Precision teaching is based on improving skills through setting performance goals, continuous measurement of the individual’s ability, and data based decisions. The purpose of this poster is to present several case studies that used precision teaching to develop court competency skills in individuals with developmental disabilities. Pretest and posttest measures, along with a final role-play of a court trial (mock trial) were used to assess the effects of using precision teaching to teach court competence to adults with developmental disabilities. The results for the 2 participants who completed the program indicated requisite improvement of the court competency skills for one participant and the second participant meet the criterion to pass the posttest but was unable to meet the criterion to pass the mock trial. Three participants did not finish the training due to court decision. Of the 3, 2 were showing clear progress and 1 did not show any progress in attaining court competence.

We evaluated behavior exhibited by several individuals with developmental disabilities using the behavioral economic conceptualization of unit price. Descriptive observations were conducted during interactions between the participants and their primary care providers in a clinical laboratory environment, the participants’ home or school. Data were recorded on potential reinforcers and problem behavior. After identifying reinforcers for each participant’s problem behavior by way of functional analysis, the descriptive data were analyzed retrospectively, using the concept of unit price. Results showed that in some, but not all cases, overall response output decreased, when unit price increased. The results represent an extension of the concept of unit price to severe problem behavior under naturally occurring environmental conditions.

We conducted a series of free-operant preference assessments involving various foods. Results showed that that the participant would eat primarily snack items (cookies, pretzels, chips) and would only eat some items (e.g., tortillas, noodles) when accompanied with cheese. Under an exchange ratio of 1:1 (that is one bite of the high preferred food item for consumption of one bite of the low preferred food item), consumption of low preferred food did not increase. When the exchange ratio was increased from 1:1 to 5:1 (five bites of the high preferred food for consumption of one bite of the low preferred food) increases in consumption were demonstrated across two specific foods.

Psychiatric, pharmacological, and behavioral assessments and interventions were provided to consumers with developmental disabilities who were receiving psychotropic medications. In addition, training programs on the steps in psychiatric assessment, the implementation of behavioral interventions, and the administration of medication procedures were conducted for service providers working with this population. Following the assessments and interventions, 17 of 40 participating consumers (43%) received fewer psychotropic medications while their challenging behaviors could be effectively managed. Service providers receiving training scored significantly higher on post tests than did they on pre tests on psychiatric assessment steps, medication management procedures, and positive behavior interventions. A high level of satisfaction with the training process was reported by the majority of these participating service providers. The practical implications of the findings of this project were discussed.

We conducted descriptive analyses of severe problem behavior exhibited by 2 individuals with developmental disabilities during interactions with their teachers in a classroom setting, in order to identify potential reinforcement contingencies. We evaluated the probability of potential reinforcers (e.g., access to tangible items, adult attention, and escape from instructional demands) following problem behavior, as well as the unconditional probability of those events, using the methods described by Vollmer, Borrero, Wright, Van Camp and Lalli (2001). Results suggest that the method was useful in identifying potential contingencies, and extends prior research by demonstrating the utility of the analyses in the context of an undisturbed classroom environment.

Data from the California department of education website is graphed showing the total number of students served by bay area public school districts who are diagnosed as Autistic. Data for the state, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties are presented from 2000-2001 through the 2004-2005 school years as reported on the December first reports to the state.

Precision teaching methods can be used by educators to support language development for students with language disorders in inclusive classroom settings. The following case study attempts to illustrate the use of precision teaching techniques including fluency training in developing the social and academic language skills frequently utilized in classroom settings. The subject of the case study is a male 9 year old student eligible for special education services in the category of autism. Implications for teacher training in precision teaching strategies will be discussed.

For one socially withdrawn child, we evaluated the effects of a praise procedure in isolation or in combination with prompting across three topographies of social behavior by way of a multiple baseline design. Topographies assessed included interactive play, sharing, and verbal behavior directed toward peers or adults. Results showed increases across all topographies, relative to baseline levels of responding, and corroborate those reported in prior research.

Students from US and Taiwan participate the fluency tests. Three areas were assessed: numeral writing (tool skills), single-digit multiplication (component skills), and multi-digit multiplication (composite skills). Explicit timing procedures were used while students had one minute to do each of the three tests. Student performance in accuracy and fluency were compared within groups (nations), across groups, and across skills. The results suggest that the more fluent a student performs in a component skill, the more fluent he/she would perform in a composite skill. The more difficult the level of skills, the bigger gap between low and high performance.

We evaluated the relation between naturally occurring rates of problem behavior and appropriate behavior using the matching equation with a 4 year-old typically developing child in a state funded preschool setting. Descriptive observations were conducted at various times during the typical daily routine at the preschool. Data were recorded on potential reinforcers, problem behavior and appropriate behavior. The data collected from these observations were analyzed retrospectively, assuming that one event (attention) served as a reinforcer. While the possibility of spurious relations exists, results showed covariation between both response forms and teacher attention.

A token economy is a system in which an individual earns tokens for demonstrating targeted behaviors. Once the individual has collected a predetermined number of tokens they can be traded for an item or activity the individual desires. Some token economy systems include a response cost measure in which the individual may be fined a specific number of tokens when he behaves inappropriately, with the hope of reducing that inappropriate behavior. In a non-public school providing services for students with emotional disturbance a token economy was implemented to address aggressions toward peers, profanity toward peers and threats. Initially the token economy was implemented without a response cost measure. After a period of weeks the response cost measure, which consisted of relinquishing earned tokens to the victim of their targeted behavior was introduced. After several weeks with the response cost measure in place it was discontinued. Results indicated that the introduction of the response cost measure produced an initial reduction in the targeted behaviors, but resulted in a ‘mutiny’ on the part of the students where problem behaviors escalated. When the response cost measure was discontinued target behaviors did not return to original levels, suggesting that the punishment procedure ‘tainted’ the students motivation to earn the tokens even after it had been removed.

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that variable and non-variable responding could be controlled by discriminative stimuli arranged in a multiple schedule. The multiple schedule was made up of two components; one which signaled that variable responses would be reinforced, and another that signaled that non-variable responses would be reinforced. The discriminative stimuli were presented on a computer screen. Responses consisted of a series of four left and right mouse clicks. Variability was measured by calculating a U-value score for every 16 trial block. Results presented suggest that variable and non-variable responding could be controlled by discriminative stimuli arranged in a multiple schedule. However, data also indicated that these responses were difficult to establish and maintain. A discussion about the conditions necessary to establish these responses and directions for future research will be presented.

Abstract Nursing home residents frequently find themselves isolated from other residents and disengaged from social interactions, especially those individuals suffering from dementia. They may engage in conversations infrequently and take part in activities offered by the center at a low rate. One explanation for this is that they are not receiving reinforcement for engaging in these activities. The purpose of the present study is to (1) evaluate two stimulus preference assessments; the multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) and the brief free operant preference assessment, to determine which procedure is more effective in identifying possible reinforcers and (2) to determine if a token economy will be as effective in increasing behavior as immediate reinforcement. Topographies of behavior being assessed include: engagement in conversation, listening, and manipulation of the specified activity materials. Participants include four elderly dementia patients at a local nursing home. Baseline data has shown that all participants are engaging in low levels of social interaction. For each of the four participants, treatment is alternated daily between a token economy procedure and the immediate delivery of reinforcers contingent upon engagement in an activity. A reversal design will be used to determine treatment efficacy. It is hypothesized that (1) a brief free operant stimulus assessment will be as effective and more time efficient than the MSWO and (2) that a token economy will be as effective as immediate reinforcement in increasing social interaction in patients with dementia.

There is growing research suggesting that individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia are impaired in their ability to recognize and express facial emotions. However, research examining the effects of treatment on facial emotion expression and recognition deficits is extremely limited. This study examined the effects of a brief training program on the ability to express and recognize facial emotions among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (N = 6). Assessment procedures included identification (photo and in vivo models), imitation, and simulation. The training program consisted of 8 sessions, lasting approximately 20-30 min. The first training session consisted of a discussion about the six basic emotions (happy, sad, surprised, fearful, angry, disgusted). The next seven training sessions included identification (photo and in vivo models), imitation, and simulation of each of the six basic emotions. Verbal reinforcement and feedback were used to increase performance. The results indicated that performance improved for all tasks from baseline to treatment, and maintained during a 3-week follow up period.

This study systematically replicates Foxx et al.’s (1983) study in which social skills were taught to adults with developmental disabilities across six social skill areas: (a) compliments, (b) social interactions, (c) politeness, (d) criticism, (e) social confrontation, and (f) questions/answers. It is of particular importance that individuals with mental illness possess social skills in order to improve their adaptive functioning and communicate effectively with those they come in contact. Eight adults, with a chronic mental illness, attending a community socialization center are participants in this study. The adults are taught appropriate social skills utilizing a modified version of the game “Sorry” with social training cards. Participants engage in role-play situations listed on game cards both as an actor (one who initiates the social situation) and a reactor (one who responds to a social situation). Baseline data will be collected to determine which of the six skill areas participants will need training. A multiple-baseline design will be employed to collect data on responses for different social skill areas. Furthermore, the generalization of social skills will be assessed by observing responses to interactive situations that are the same as game card situations at the socialization center. It is hypothesized that the social skills acquired during training with a game board will carry-over to the natural environment.

Functional communication is a pivotal skill in children with autism. Choice in the mode of communication, is a critical component in finding a functional match for individual children. Often mode of communication is based on practitioner preference rather than individual data based decisions. Skinner (1957), when defining the verbal operants also discussed the modes of communication which include vocal speech, written langauge and sign language. Precision teaching indicates that children who are able to produce skills at fluent aims are better served to produce these skills automatically over time and novel situations (Binder, 1996). This study assessed the effects of one child allowed to tact using sign and vocal speech and vocal speech alone on the acquisition, and maintanence of common place nouns. Results showed higher rates of responding in time based assessments when both sign and vocal speech were allowed. Limitations and recommendationd for future research will be discussed.

Friday, February 17, 2006      Presenting authors are indicated in UPPERCASE

Behavioral pediatrics (BP) is a branch of pediatrics that integrates behavioral and pediatric sciences to promote the health of children. A unique aspect of BP is that competencies for practice can be met by physicians or psychologists and thus its practitioners include both. Most typically, however, the physician and psychologist work in partnership whether the task at hand involves a particular case or a promising area of research. There are two general forms of treatment supplied in BP: 1) supportive counseling, usually involving the delivery of health education (e.g., extended crying is normal in early infancy) but no specific action; and 2) prescriptive behavioral treatment, usually involving the provision of specific procedures for remediation of presenting problems to caregivers (e.g., motivational programs). Recognition of the high prevalence of behavioral problems that initially and often only present in pediatric settings as well as the reciprocal nature of interactions between medical and behavioral factors in child health has led to dramatic growth in BP over the past 30 years. This growth presents opportunities for behavior analysis because the principles of learning contribute so much to both forms of behavioral pediatric treatment. This presentation will describe behavioral pediatrics in primary care, elaborate on its two forms of treatment, provide examples of each, and underscore opportunities for behavior analysis.

Verbal Apraxia and speech articulation problems are often co-mingled with language difficulties in children with autism. As a result, many children with autism receive an additional diagnosis of verbal apraxia. Compliance and behavior issues often associated with children diagnosed autism often interfere with the standard clinical treatment of verbal apraxia. Review the case studies of two children diagnosed with both autism and verbal apraxia, and the team approach used to systematically plan treatment in the areas of behavior and attending skills, oral motor, articulation, verbal language and parent involvement. Review the results and treatment steps in the coordinated efforts of the entire team.

Existing research has documented the efficacy of a wide range of interventions to facilitate social responses in children with autism (e.g., incidental teaching, video modeling, script fading, audio-tape prompts, and contrived establishing operations). Some children, however, may fail to initiate these responses on their own despite directed teaching. Acquisition, generalization and maintenance of social responses may occur more readily with specific attention to variables that effect motivation. This presentation will review a range of research-based strategies for addressing the social responses of children with autism, with specific attention to variables that may enhance motivation and response allocation. Videotaped examples will be used to illustrate both teaching procedures and the skills to target.

It is critical to make an accurate and thorough assessment of a suicidal patient. The assessment serves to both determine which level of care best suits the needs of the patient being evaluated and helps to ensure their safety. An assessment of suicidal intent and the subsequent clinical intervention has to balance delicately the rights of the patient with the patient’s safety. Current assessment practices in the field of suicide assessment rely heavily on risk factors, emotional and cognitive conditions, with little attention paid to the function of the behavior or the development of an adequate theory that provides a comprehensive understanding of suicide. Clinical behavior analysis, which rests upon a functional analysis of complex human behavior, is uniquely positioned to approach this topic. The purpose of the present paper is to examine how a behavior analytic approach to assessing and understanding suicidal behavior may facilitate a more effective assessment and provide a basis for a more complete understanding of suicide itself. Clinical and legal considerations in the assessment process will be discussed as well as implications for further research.           

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board has several means of fostering appropriate professional and ethical behavior on the part of its certificants and, in most instances, professional behavior analyst practitioners in general. The presenter will review these various mechanisms and show how they can affect the professional and ethical behavior of BCBAs, BCABAs and other behavior analysts. Some items to be covered include: The Ethical Considerations portion of the BACB Third Edition Task List, the BACB Guidelines for Responsible Conduct for Behavior Analysts, the BACB Professional Disciplinary Standards and appeal procedures, the mandatory attestations in various BACB applications, and others. Participants will have time to as questions and interact with the presenter.

Radical behaviorism was born with the publication in 1945 of Skinner’s essay, “An operational analysis of psychological terms.” The paper has been widely misinterpreted as support for a conventional brand of operationism, but Skinner’s paper was actually a harsh critique of what operationism had become in psychology—the routine application of operational definitions to conventional psychological constructs. Skinner felt that it would be better to rid psychology of its reliance on mentalistic terms, and to replace them with a technical vocabulary that minimized intrusions from everyday vernacular patterns. Skinner outlined an alternative behavioristic perspective, with special emphasis on verbal behavior, including scientific verbal behavior. Although the paper was relatively short (roughly 8 journal pages), it was an important early statement of radical behaviorist epistemology, a position Skinner would nurture and develop for the remainder of his career. The present talk is in part a retrospective appreciation of Skinner’s 1945 paper, and in part an exploration of some of its still-current implications.

“Theory of mind” refers to the ability to infer the mental states of others. That is, to know when someone else is sad, happy, annoyed, thinking, planning, intending, seeing, hearing, etc. This ability is said to be a critical prerequisite to human social interaction. Although this statement has not been empirically evaluated, it seems clear from casual observation that appropriate social behavior involves responding differentially depending on the “mental” states of others (e.g., one does not interact with another in the same manner when they are happy versus sad). A significant amount of research has demonstrated that individuals with autism show a marked delay in the development of behavioral repertoires labeled “theory of mind” and the topic appears to be enjoying increasing popularity as a result. In a natural science of psychology, the term “mental states” cannot refer to events taking place in the “mind,” but rather must refer to events taking place in the physical world. According to Skinner (1957; 1974), “mental” events are to be dealt with just as overt psychological events and are called “private events.” Little behavior analytic research has been done on private events in general and even less on one person’s behavior with respect to the private events of others, as is involved in “theory of mind.” This conceptual paper will review and critique Baron-Cohen’s evolutionary developmental “theory of mind” causal mechanisms, review and critique behavioral accounts, and propose a program of empirical research on establishing “theory of mind” skills in children with autism.

This symposium will consist of three unqiue papers looking at treatment implementation. The first paper evaluates different compoenents of a feeding intervention inorder to determine the components necessary for effective behavior change. The second paper examined patterns of responding when the availability of reinforcement for communication during an FCT intervention was signaled by visual or auditory stimuli and delivered according to a variable interval (VI) schedule. The third paper examined the use of a three-step prompting procedure to increase compliance of typically developing children. Finally, the discussant will highlight the importance of these studies, address their limitations, and suggest avenues for future research.

A Component Analysis of a Parent-Conducted Multi-Component Treatment for Food Selectivity
BECKY PENROD, University of Nevada, Reno
Michele D. Wallace, California State University, Los Angeles
Mandy McClanahan, University of Nevada, Reno

Najdowski (2004) evaluated a parent-conducted treatment for food selectivity which consisted of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior combined with escape extinction (i.e., nonremoval of the spoon). Results indicated that this treatment package successfully increased food consumption of nonpreferred foods. In addition, generalization of accepting and swallowing was observed across all participants. Although this study contributes to the literature on feeding disorders in a number of ways, it is not possible to determine which treatment component was responsible for behavior change in that treatment components were introduced simultaneously. Specifically, demand fading, changes in the magnitude of reinforcement, and escape extinction were all implemented at the same time. Hence, the purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous research by conducting a component analysis of the aforementioned treatment components. Results indicated that escape extinction, in the form of a nonremoval of the spoon procedure, was a necessary treatment component.

Response Maintenance During Schedule Thinning Following Functional Communication Training
CARRIE M. DEMPSEY, University of Florida
Brian A. Iwata, University of Florida
Pamela L. Neidert, University of Florida
Jennifer N. Fritz, University of Florida
Jessica L. Thomason, University of Florida

Reinforcement is delivered immediately and continuously during functional communication training (FCT) to produce rapid acquisition. Delayed or intermittent reinforcement, however, must be introduced during maintenance and may produce several types of problems. Results of previous studies suggest that the inclusion of discriminative stimuli may facilitate schedule thinning. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of responding when the availability of reinforcement for communication was signaled by visual or auditory stimuli and delivered according to a variable interval (VI) schedule. Study 1 involved a basic demonstration of the effects of signaled versus unsignaled reinforcer availability, whereas Study 2 involved a clinical evaluation of signaled VI schedule thinning following FCT. Results of Study 1 showed that signaled reinforcement availability generally produced more moderate rates of responding than did unsignaled availability. Results of Study 2 indicated that signaled VI schedule thinning resulted in low rates of problem behavior (e.g., self-injury) and moderate rates of communication.

Evaluation of a Three-Step Prompting Procedure to Reduce Noncompliance Among Typically Developing Preschool Children
DAVID A. WILDER, Florida Institute of Technology
Julie Atwell, Florida Institute of Technology

The effectiveness of a three-step prompting procedure to reduce noncompliance among typically developing preschool children was evaluated. After baseline data on compliance to common demands were collected, a parent, instructional assistant, or graduate research assistant implemented the three-step prompting procedure, which involved the delivery of progressively more intrusive prompts contingent upon noncompliance. The effects of the procedure were examined using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants. The results suggest that the procedure was effective for four of the six children who participated.

The Competent Learner Model (CLM) is a educational system that includes a comprehensive curriculum with supportive instructional procedures, collaborative consultation, a course of study for staff development, embedded coaching and systematic evaluation procedures. The model has recently been adopted by the state of Pennsylvania to be implemented across some 50 early childhood and pre-school classrooms. This symposium will discuss important concerns regarding the effect of resource and capacity limitations on various options and approaches to the empirical validation of individual learner and system wide efficacy of this large-scale implementation project.

Program Evaluation: Multiple Statistical Measures Are Required
DAVID C. PALMER, Smith College

The evaluation of a large-scale program serves several purposes, but those purposes only partially overlap. For scientific purposes, the appropriate unit of analysis of behavior change is the individual subject, for that is the level at which behavioral principles operate, so traditional procedures of single-subject design are appropriate; however, the program must also be evaluated in ways that are easily grasped by politicians, bureaucrats, and parents. For this purpose, simplicity and familiarity of measures are necessary, at a possible cost in validity or usefulness. Finally, a large-scale program must be evaluated in a way that meets normative group-design standards in order to be commensurate with traditional research and in order to be given a respectful hearing by granting and review agencies and mainstream psychological and educational journals. These considerations require careful planning in the initial design of a program. This talk discusses some of the minimal features that this design must include if it is to meet the disparate evaluative purposes.

The Design of an Evaluation of the Competent Learner Model (CLM)
TIMOTHY A. SLOCUM, Utah State University
Rick Kubina, Pennsylvania State University

This presentation will describe the design of a large-scale implementation and evaluation of the Competent Learner Model. The Competent Learner Model is an integrated system of teacher training, supervision, and direct intervention designed to build the basic repertoires necessary to learn efficiently from instructional and non-instructional environments. The Competent Learner Model is based on the principles and techniques of behavior analysis, Direct Instruction, and Precision Teaching. The Model will be implemented in approximately 10 classrooms in Pennsylvania and will involve approximately 40 to 50 children with autism spectrum disorder. This presentation will describe (1) selection of participants (classrooms/teachers, and children), (2) assignment to groups and phases of intervention, (3) evaluation designs and planned comparisons, (4) measures of fidelity of implementation at various levels, learner progress within the program, and outcomes based on external assessments, (5) data analysis, and (6) issues of internal and external validity.

Program Evaluation: Measures of Ethical Grounding and Support
RICHARD E. LAITINEN, Tucci Learning Solutions, Inc.

Behavior analysts have committed to the design and provision of ethically sound and effective treatment programs. Judgments about effective treatment programs are ultimately dependent on how component and composite aspects of a program functionally affect the behavior of those individuals who are affected by the proximal and distal contingencies established and maintained by the program. Ethically sound educational practices, at least from a behavioral perspective, demand measures that are “simple and familiar to politicians, bureaucrats, and parents.” Adherence to the ethical standards of the field, however, may produce contingencies that, even though effective and efficacious, politicians, bureaucrats, parents, etc. may disavow or discount. This paper considers how the Competent Learner Model (CLM) meets many of the prescriptions of sound ethical practice and effective treatment promoted by the field, the need to include these measures within large-scale demonstrations of program efficacy, and how ethically sound practices may be conditioned to positively effect social validation data from constituent consumers (e.g., politicians, bureaucrats, and parents).

Prompt dependency has historically been a concern for behavior analysts developing programs for children with autism and related disabilities. A method of prompt fading and a contingent work effort based on the levels of prompts was developed for children that had a history of prompt dependency. Seven children diagnosed with autism and related disorders were participants in the study. All seven children had been involved in a discrete trial format program and all seven children were considered prompt dependent as evaluated by teachers and an assessment developed specifically for this research implemented by the researcher. A multiple baseline across subjects was utilized and six of the seven children showed considerable progress in target acquisition and reduction of prompt dependency. The results suggest that with appropriate programming we can reduce prompt dependency and facilitate independent responding in children with an established history of prompt dependency.

The presenter will describe a behavior anlaysis-based clinical evaluation of sex offenders diagnosed with developmental disabilities. The evaluation is designed in part to identify levels of risk for re-offense. First, assessment data obtained through the use of plethysmograph technology (including clinic-based and portable plethysmographs) will be presented. Results show that behavioral methodology such as repeated measurement and multielement designs are useful. Second, assessment data involving observations of approach behavior through a one-way window during situations designed to resemble 'high risk' contexts will be presented. Results show that behavioral observation techniques and skills training approaches are relevant. Third, additional behavioral measures such as stimulus selection during preference assessments will be proposed. Limitations inherent to behavioral methodology will be outlined and conceptual issues related to defining sexual offense will be described. This presentation is aimed at BCBAs who may have clients who are either sex offenders or who are at risk for committing sex offenses.

Most university courses involve students passively listening to teachers. Techniques such as guided notes and response cards have been demonstrated to increase participation in lecture-based courses. The “Shape Your Teacher” project was developed to improve attendance, participation and student self-management projects in an introductory behavior analysis course. The professor recorded baselines the first week of school across a dozen of her own behaviors. Each week thereafter students filled out feedback forms for their professor on her weekly data regarding changes in the rates of her targeted behaviors. These forms provided reinforcement for the professor in her self-management program and served as note-taking guides for students for their own projects. Students received points toward their grades for the quality of feedback and for note taking on the process of self-management. Points could not be made up and the day the project was administered changed from week to week. Data include outcomes on participation, attendance and quality of student self-management projects.

Special educators must be aware of how to manage the implementation of research-based interventions to ensure they are implemented consistently and accurately. Four paraprofessionals in a special day class for children with special needs were trained and monitored to determine the accuracy and consistency of their implementation of two treatment interventions for children with autistic-like behavior. The impact of staff training and experience, ongoing performance feedback, and overall treatment acceptability on treatment integrity was examined by tracking the changes in the accuracy of intervention implementation and pre and post self report regarding the acceptability of each intervention. The results indicate that training and performance feedback did not result in increases in treatment integrity over time for one participant. The implications for practitioners with regard to monitoring factors that may impact treatment integrity in the classroom are discussed.

This presentation will examine conditional discriminations, specifically, second-order conditional discriminations. A first order conditional discrimination is often conceptualized as matching to sample. Our second-order conditional discrimination research adds an additional discrimination layer to matching to sample. An overview of S.O. CDs will be provided, some lab improvements which facilitated the second-order studies, as well as data from several ongoing experiments.

Direct instruction and behaviorist methods of teaching suggest that low-error or error-free instructional procedures are more effective than methods that result in a greater number of errors. In contrast, cognitive psychology has recommended procedures using widely spaced practice that result in a much higher proportion of errors. Unfortunately, the recommendations of cognitive psychology are based on a misinterpretation of the spaced practice literature. A more careful analysis of the spacing effect reveals that while learning per trial is indeed greater with wide spacing of practice, the serious time costs of allowing high error rates mean that spaced practice is much less efficient than more narrowly spaced practice. This reanalysis shows that direct instruction and behaviorist recommendations for instructional schedules are superior to similar recommendations made by cognitive psychology. In this talk I will discuss a mathematical model of the effect of practice on later performance, and how it allowed this reanalysis. This mathematical model was used to formulate a computerized algorithm for practice scheduling that automatically selects items for practice in order to maximize learning per second. This practice scheduling algorithm was applied in a 3-hour experiment to teach Japanese-English word pairs. Recall during learning using the optimization algorithm was greater than 90% correct. The learning optimization algorithm was compared to two control conditions reflecting typical recommendations from the cognitive psychology literature. In an assessment session one week after the 3 hours of learning, the algorithm resulted in more than a 20% recall advantage compared to both controls.

Difficulties in the area of social skill development is one of the core deficits in the diagnostic criteria for children with autism. Yet defining appropriate social skill need areas and measuring success of treatment has proven to be challenging for many treatment programs. By defining specific and appropriate social skill need areas, determining learning style, and using behavioral methods to teach and generalize appropriate social skills, we can see dramatic improvements toward this core deficit. Follow two case studies and review the pre and post assessment tools used to define, teach, and measure social skills to determine social success for children with autism.

The presentation will discuss important components of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® which include: Board Certified Behavior Analyst™ (BCBA®) and Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst™ (BCABA®) credentials; professional experience, coursework, and degree requirements necessary to apply for examination; approved course sequences; new examination administration procedures; new eligibility standards; and the new application for examination process. The presentation also will provide an overview of the current status of the BACB® and its certificants and cover important new developments within the BACB. The presentation also will focus on future development of the BACB. Time will be provided for participant questions and discussion with the presenter.

In common parlance, a sentence is a verbal construction that "expresses a complete thought." In contrast, the structural linguist defines a sentence as any legal product of an explicit grammar for the language. Inconsistently, the linguist sometimes defines it operationally as any string of symbols that native speakers identify as a grammatical string in the language. But what is a sentence in a behavioral account? Can it be dismissed as a mere relic of structuralism? I believe not. We can, at least, identify the variables that control the tact “sentence,” and those variables, possibly different, that control normative punctuation in writing. Ullin Place argued that the sentence specified three-term contingencies, but that definition does not seem adequate to cover the heterogeneity of the concept. Nevertheless the verbal contingency appears to be central to the term. I attempt to offer an integrated operational definition.

This symposium will be a collection of papers discussing theoretical and research based issues in parent training. Participants will learn the current state of research, potential variables including motivational factors that affect parental adherence, as well as a content analysis of parent training curriculum.

The Social Context for Parents of Children with Autism: Examination of the Motivation and Buy-In for Parents Seeking a Services
CRISTIN D. JOHNSTON, University of Nevada, Reno
Ginger R. Wilson, Nyansa Learning Corporation

The trend to utilize parents as active change agents for their children’s behavior is becoming increasingly more popular. The rationale for this increasing trend is likely the desire of research practitioners to build more durable, generalized, and long-term behavior change for the child they serve. However, this in turn has resulted in an increase in the duties and responsibilities of parents, which may directly impact adherence to specified treatment protocols. As more parents are seeking treatment, it is imperative to determine parental motivation prior to and throughout the consultation relationship to ensure parental adherence. Currently, there have been minimal programmatic efforts to explore the variables that affect treatment adherence in the same way that behavior analysts have investigated the issue of treatment effectiveness. Although this has been addressed in the medical adherence literature, the focus has been almost entirely on the prediction of adherence based on subject variables rather than the control of adherence as a function of its consequences (Allen & Warzak, 2000). Participants will be lead through an investigation of some of the functional relationships that may predict parental adherence. Specifically, the paper will address issues of buy-in, the role of causational belief systems, social community interactions and the effects of captured and contrived parental motivation which may be impacting the ability of the practitioner to train, supervise and implement protocols with parent as change agents.

A Review of the Parent Training Literature
GINGER R. WILSON, Nyansa Learning Corporation
Michele Wallace, California State University, Los Angeles
Patrick M. Ghezzi, University of Nevada, Reno

An increasing trend towards the use of parents as active change agents for their children is evidenced by the growing literature on parent training. This trend that began in the early 1970’s was necessitated by the shortages of personnel within the mental health field and revised service delivery approaches (Bernal & North, 1978). This move was imposed by the need to train social agents, especially parents, in the child’s natural social environment in order to bring about durable, generalized, and long-term changes in children’s behavior. This increase in parent training has spurred many research studies targeting the cost benefit ratio, the long-term efficacy, most appropriate methods of instruction, and questions of necessary content for those conducting parent training. These and the many other differences related to differing treatment approaches within the parent training domain highlight the necessity of a review of this vast literature so as to aid practitioners and parents alike in the selection of an approach given the many available options. This paper will reveal the results of a review of the empirical research in the area of behavior analytic parent training literature published from 1985 to current. In addition, this paper will highlight areas and/or topics in need of improvement and suggest future research for parent trainers in light of the current literature.

What Should We Be Teaching Parents?
GINGER R. WILSON, Nyansa Learning Corporation
Patrick M. Ghezzi, University of Nevada, Reno
Jennifer Castellanos, University of Nevada, Reno

Despite the many advantages of training parents as change agents for their child, no one parent training program has capitalized on or used utilized strategies to effectively produce all of these outcomes. Parent training programs differ greatly and there are conflicting recommendations as to the necessary components for training parents to manage behavior (e.g., O’Dell, 1974). One area of increasing interest is the necessary content of a parent training program. The issue centers on whether it is necessary to train parents about behavior principles or whether training parents how to implement behavior principles or the combination of the two is necessary to produce child behavior change. The majority of parent training studies have focused on how to implement particular procedures, however, a few studies have incorporated varying amounts of principles training (e.g., McMahon, Forehand, & Griest, 1981). Yet, not a single study to date has isolated the effects of knowing how and knowing about behavior principles. This address will present a study designed to examine the effects of parent training that targeted knowing about operant principles, knowing how to implement operant principles, and combination training. The effects of this training were examined in terms of parental attrition, parental satisfaction, and generalization and maintenance of treatment gains for both the parent and the child. The information gained from this study will aid in designing future studies by advancing our understanding of what behavior analysts need to be teaching parents in order for them to produce durable child behavior change.

Preference Assessments have been used in many areas and this symposium will extend the populations used, how items affect acquistion, as well as how preference may change over the course of day.

More on the Displacement of Leisure Items in Combined Stimulus Preference
KENNETH R. MACALEESE, University of Nevada, Reno
Amy Kenzer, University of Nevada, Reno
Patrick Ghezzi, University of Nevada, Reno

The identification of effective reinforcers continues to be an important component of successful behavioral interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities. Likewise, the identification of effective reinforcers for individuals of typical development is necessary for effective behavioral interventions. Preference assessments have been developed to identify potential reinforcers. However, previous research has indicated that when individuals with developmental disabilities are given the opportunity to choose between food and leisure items, they choose food items more frequently, even when the leisure items are highly preferred. This study examined this phenomena with young children diagnosed with autism and young children of typical development.

Evaluation of Stimulus Preference as a Function of Task Difficulty Schedule Requirements and Stimulus Similarity
AMY KENZER, University of Nevada, Reno
Megan Nollet, University of Nevada, Reno
Michele Wallace, California State University, Los Angeles

Methods of identifying preferred stimuli that may then function as reinforcers for individuals with developmental disabilities typically involve the use of simple operants and dense reinforcement schedules. This may not be the ideal method for identifying potential reinforcers as preference may emerge with increasing schedule requirements after no preference was observed during a concurrent fixed-ratio 1(FR1) schedule of reinforcement. Preference may also shift when the operant response is relatively difficult. Preference for categorically similar (food items) stimuli and categorically dissimilar (food and leisure items) stimuli was assessed under increasing schedule requirements and increased task difficulty.

Evaluating Preference Over the Course of a Day
ALICIA N. MACALEESE, University of Nevada, Reno
Kenneth R. MacAleese Tim Fuller Erin Pitts Kimberly Silger Mandy McClanahan, University of Nevada, Reno
Patrick M. Ghezzi, University of Nevada, Reno

Previous research has shown that when individuals with developmental disabilities are given the opportunity to choose between food and leisure items, they will choose food items over leisure items even when the leisure items are highly preferred. However, it is unknown whether individuals of typical development will also respond in similar ways. It is possible that very young children and children with developmental disabilities preference for these items will change over the course of the day, which has not been demonstrated in the literature, but in fact may occur. In literature, it is common to simply run one preference assessment and use the top 2 or three items for duration of the task and never reassessing the preference. Therefore, this study evaluated preference changes throughout the day in order to determine if preference changes over the day due to various conditions being present (i.e., after snack, before lunch, after lunch, playing outside, playing with toys during free time, after nap, etc.). In addition, does allowing access to the items during the assessment change the outcome verses no access during the assessment.

Many children with autism display deficits in the use of spontaneous language. Research recently conducted at Utah State University to address this challenge will be presented in this symposium. Topics will include the use of social scripting and script fading procedures, natural language paradigm (NLP) procedures, and strategies to teach manding for information by contriving motivating operations.

Training Parents to Use Scripts and Script Fading Procedures: Teaching Children with Autism to Engage in Conversational Language in the Home
KARA A. REAGON, Utah State University
Thomas S. Higbee, Utah State University

Scripts and script fading procedures have been effective strategies to teach children and adolescents with autism conversational language. Audio taped scripts have been used with nonreaders (Stevenson, Krantz, & McClannhan, 2000) and written textual scripts (Krantz & McClannahan, 1993; Krantz & McClannahan, 1998; and Sarokoff, Taylor & Poulson, 2001) have been used with readers. Conversational topics have included initiations and question asking to adults about an upcoming event, initiations to peers and or adults about recently completed activities or upcoming activities, and lastly children have been taught to comment about objects within their environment, such as a snack or video game. Script and script fading procedures have also been implemented to teach youths appropriate conversational skills during simulated shopping trips that were then generalized to local retail stores (Brown, 2003). The purpose of the present study is to extend the use of script and script fading procedures to a home setting by training parents to implement and systematically fade scripts to promote spontaneous language in young children with autism. Both the parent’s use of script and script fading procedures and children’s use of scripts and unscripted responses will be examined using a multiple-probe design across participants. Generalization across activities will also be assessed.

Behavioral Skills Training for Parents of Children with Autism: Teaching Implementation of the Natural Language Paradigm
JILL N. GILLETT, Utah State University
Linda A. LeBlanc, Western Michigan University

The effects of the use of behavioral skills training to teach parents of children with autism to implement the Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) were examined. Data were collected on parent implementation and child behavior. Results indicated that parents of children with autism were able to learn to implement the NLP procedures and continued to implement the procedures accurately throughout the study. Child data indicated that parent-implemented NLP resulted in improvements in child play. These improvements consisted of a decrease in intervals with no toy engagement, a decrease in intervals in which inappropriate play occurred, and an increase in intervals in which appropriate play occurred. Parent-implemented NLP also resulted in an increase in the rate of child vocalizations. Results of a social validity questionnaire indicated that parents found participation in the study to be very useful and the NLP procedures to be relatively simple. Additionally, parents indicated that they would continue to use NLP at home often following the conclusion of the study.

Contriving Motivating Operations to Teach Children with Autism to Mand for Information
KATIE ENDICOTT, Utah State University
Thomas S. Higbee, Utah State University

While many students with autism learn to request (mand) preferred items, they often have more difficulty learning to make requests for non-tangible stimuli. In the present study, young children with autism were taught to mand for information by contriving motivating operations to make the information more "valuable" and thus making mands for information more likely. Results of the study will be shared and their implications for establishing question asking repertoires in children with autism will be discussed.

This symposium will present data that are relevant to social interventions to promote positive interactions between children with autism and their typically developing peers. First, data-based strategies relating to training paraprofessionals to facilitate social interaction in inclusive educational settings will be discussed. Next, the role of initiations in peer interactions will be addressed and data documenting strategies to increase initiations to peer will be presented. A third study will examine strategies for facilitating reciprocal social interactions and improving affect during play dates with typical peers. Finally, the implications of these studies will be discussed in the context of comprehensive social intervention programs for children with autism.

Training Paraprofessionals to Facilitate Social Interaction Between Children with Autism and Their Typically-Developing Peers in Full Inclusive Educational Settings
SUZANNE BABKO, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara
Robert L. Koegel, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara
Lynn Koegel, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of training paraprofessionals to facilitate social interactions between children with autism and their typical peers in full inclusion educational settings. Specifically, paraprofessionals were taught to incorporate Pivotal Response Teaching (including procedures of child choice, shared control, natural and contingent reinforcers) and peer-mediation strategies (e.g., peer-delivered antecedents and consequences) within the natural routines of the classroom. The paraprofessionals were trained using modeling and in vivo feedback procedures. Results showed that (a) prior to training the paraprofessionals rarely prompted the children with autism to engage in social interactions, (b) following the training the paraprofessionals evoked social responses from the children with autism, and (c) throughout the training social interactions between children with autism and their peers immediately increased and maintained at follow-up. The results are discussed in terms of understanding and improving paraprofessional training for the purposes of increasing social interactions between children with autism and their typically developing peers in inclusive settings.

Increasing Initiations Towards Peers in Children with Autism Using Pivotal Response Training and Collateral Gains in Quality of Initiations
ROSY M. FREDEEN, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara
Robert L. Koegel, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara
Lynn Koegel, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara

The literature documents that children with autism exhibit pervasive impairments in the ability to initiate, both in terms of quantity and quality. The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the effects of using the motivational procedures of PRT on the quantity and quality of initiations toward peers exhibited by children with autism. Specifically, a multiple baseline across participants was be employed to address the following (1) quantity of initiations toward peers; (2) collateral gains in quality of initiations toward peers (i.e., social interaction and joint attention initiations); (3) quantity of initiations typically developing children make toward other typically developing peers; and (4) quality of initiations typically developing children make toward other typically developing peers. Data suggest that overall quantity of initiations increased and that social interaction and joint attention initiations increased as a collateral effect of Pivotal Response Treatment. Furthermore, all three types of initiations (behavior regulation, social interaction, joint attention) generalized to peers who did not participate in intervention and to toys not utilized during intervention. Generalization gains were also maintained at follow-up. Results are discussed in terms of clinical implications and future directions for research.

Promoting Play Date Interactions Between Children with Autism and Typically Developing Peers
GRACE A. WERNER, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara
Robert L. Koegel, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara
Lynn Koegel, Koegel Autism Center, University of California, Santa Barbara

Children with autism often exhibit difficulties in social interaction and friendship formation. Specifically, children with autism may demonstrate difficulty with appropriately initiating and maintaining conversation, as well as with engaging in interactive play with peers. Preliminary data will be presented to illustrate how a package, consisting of the use of mutually reinforcing activities and cooperative arrangements with natural reinforcers, may be successfully implemented in play dates to increase positive interactions between children with autism and typically developing peers. Data, analyzed within the context of a multiple-baseline design across participants, show how play dates may be one strategy to improve reciprocal social interaction and affect for these children. These results are discussed in the context of developing a comprehensive social-skills package to encourage and sustain friendship development among children with autism and their peers.

The spectrum of response topographies encountered in clinical and academic settings varies widely. This symposium will consist of three papers incorporating the functional analysis method initially described by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) to assess relatively low and relatively high intensity problem behavior. The first paper applies the functional analysis method of behavioral assessment to noncompliance exhibited by typically developing preschool aged children. The second paper involves functional analyses of low intensity (precursor) behavior and severe problem behavior. The final paper applies the functional analysis method of assessment and involves the use of response-independent food, and escape, as treatment for negatively reinforced problem behavior.

Functional Analysis of Noncompliance Among Typically Developing Preschool Children
DAVID A. WILDER, Florida Institute of Technology
Julie Atwell, Florida Institute of Technology
Carelle Harris, Florida Institute of Technology
Amy Rasey, Florida Institute of Technology
Renee Reagan, Florida Institute of Technology

A functional analysis of noncompliance was conducted with eight typically developing preschool children. The analysis involved exposure to three conditions; one designed to test for maintenance via positive reinforcement, one designed to test for maintenance via negative reinforcement, and a control condition. The results of the analyses suggested that noncompliance was maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of continued access to preferred activities in 3 of the children and both positive reinforcement as well as negative reinforcement in the form of escape from non-preferred activities in the remaining five children. Implications for the treatment of noncompliance in this population are discussed.

Descriptive and Experimental Analyses of Potential Precursors to Problem Behavior
CARRIE S. W. BORRERO, University of Florida and Spectrum Inc.
John C. Borrero, University of the Pacific
Andrew R. Weiher, Spectrum Inc.

We conducted a descriptive analysis of severe problem behavior for an individual with developmental disabilities in order to identify potential precursors to problem behavior. After identifying potential precursors, we compared the unconditional probability of the precursor to the conditional probability of the precursor given problem behavior. We then conducted functional analyses of both the problem behavior and precursor to determine if both were reinforced by the same events. Results of the descriptive analysis demonstrated that the probability of the precursor was greater given problem behavior than the unconditional probability of the precursor, and suggested that the response may be a precursor to problem behavior. In addition, results of the functional analyses demonstrated that both problem behavior and the precursor were reinforced by access to tangible items and escape from instructional demands. The method may be useful for determining the extent to which one response precedes problem behavior and whether precursors and problem behavior are members of the same (or different) response classes.

Evaluation of Non-Contingent Reinforcement for the Treatment of Problem Behavior Maintained by Negative Reinforcement
JOANNA E. LOMAS, Marcus Institute
Wayne W. Fisher, Marcus Institute
Michael E. Kelley, Marcus Institute
Henry S. Roane, Marcus Institute

Results of past research has suggested that negative reinforcement is one of the most common variables responsible for the development and maintenance of problem behavior. Thus, previous investigations have examined a variety of potential treatments for negatively reinforced problem behavior (e.g., differential reinforcement of compliance, non-contingent escape, escape extinction). As an alternative, the current study investigated the effects of providing noncontingent access to food as a potential establishing operation manipulation [non-contingent positive reinforcement (NCR)] to treat problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement. A functional analysis (FA) was initially conducted, after which baseline (demand condition of FA) and treatment (NCR + escape) conditions were compared in a reversal (ABAB) design. Reliability data were collected on over 33% of all sessions and averaged over 80% for all dependent measures. Results indicated that for most participants, noncontingent access to food was effective for reducing problem behavior by at least 80% of its baseline levels despite escape being available for problem behavior.

According to recent epidemiological reports, autism has been considered an epidemic due to the sudden, rising number of children being diagnosed with autism and autism spectrum disorders. Therefore, evidence-based behavioral treatments need to be disseminated across contexts to reach the increasing number of families with children with autism in need of services. This symposium will present 3 data-based programs for training family and team members to incorporate motivational teaching strategies of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) to target social and communication skills in naturalistic settings. Each program consisted of a short-term intensive training program that targeted participants’ abilities to implement the motivational techniques during natural interactions with children with autism. Each program will be described and outcome data on fidelity of implementation of intervention procedures and child progress will be presented. These findings suggest data-based approaches for delivering intensive behavioral services to multiple families and demonstrate ways to expand existing resources for families of children with autism.

Parent Education: Parents Training Educational Team Members
JENNIFER B. SYMON, California State University Los Angeles
Robert K. Koegel, University of California, Santa Barbara
George H.S. Singer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Parent education programs most often include parents as trainers and interventionists for their children. They are rarely included as expert trainers. After participation in a parent education program, three parents of children with autism trained other team members to using motivational teaching procedures to improve the social communication skills of the target children. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to assess the spread of effect of a parent education program. To assess whether transfer of training occurred from parents to other caregivers and whether improvements in children's target behaviors spread to interactions with other caregivers, baseline, intervention and follow-up probes were collected. Through a multiple-baseline across participant design, results indicate that parents successfully trained other caregivers to implement the techniques presented during the program. Additionally, the children's social communication and appropriate behaviors improved during interactions with these other caregivers. A qualitative examination was included to understand the experience from parents’ perspectives. Five themes emerged as a result of their participation. Results indicate that the parents viewed the parent educators as credible sources of information and that they experienced changes in their children's abilities. Parents initiated questions about training others and later experienced challenges of integration of services when they returned home. Finally, the data suggest that the parents were provided with support in several ways.

Effectiveness of a Group Parent Education Workshop Intervention for Multiple Families of Children with Autism
DANIEL OPENDEN, University of California, Santa Barbara

The purpose of this study was to examine, through a randomized clinical trial under real world conditions, the efficacy and effectiveness of training a group of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders within a group parent education workshop. Thirty-two parents of children with autism were matched by their fidelity of implementation of PRT intervention procedures score and then randomly assigned to either a treatment or waitlist control group. Following participation in a four day workshop, significant differences between the treatment and waitlist control groups at posttest were found on fidelity of implementation, elevated expressions of positive affect, responsivity to opportunities for language, and functional verbal utterances. The data suggest the efficacy and effectiveness of a group parent education workshop for training parents with children with autism as one component of a comprehensive intervention plan.

A Model for Increasing Social Interventions to Children with Autism: Statewide Dissemination and Replication
DANIEL OPENDEN, University of California, Santa Barbara
Lynn Kern Koegel, University of California, Santa Barbara
Robert L. Koegel, University of California, Santa Barbara

This project was designed to expand the use of effective social interventions in community settings using a cost-effective service delivery model for children with autism and related severe disabilities. Specifically, this project provides a model demonstration site in addition to providing statewide dissemination of the results for the purpose of replication. The program recruits, trains, and supervises paraprofessionals (University Students) to support children with autism and implement social interventions in after-school extracurricular activities and at summer camps. Training modules are developed from these inclusive sites. These inclusive settings provide a means for a model demonstration for observation. The program then collaborates with Regional Centers, State Agencies, and families to provide training workshops and distribution materials to enable the replication of the model throughout the State of California, thereby increasing the number of Children with Autism statewide who gain access to and participate in community activities with their typical peers.

Caring Kids provides behavioral services to preschool children (ages 3 – 5 years) who are identified as having delays or behaviors that put them at high risk for failure in kindergarten. This presentation will provide information on the Caring kids program as well as some outcome data.

"Eye contact" instruction on early intervention programs commonly focuses on teaching a child to look at an adult in response to the child’s name being called and/or to a verbal instruction such as “Look at me.” Eye contact or "referencing" serves a range of functions. The widely used “Look at me” procedure teaches eye contact only for the function of “responding to a speaker” which often does not result in natural reinforcement, but more often a demand from the speaker (which may be punishing). Frequently, results are slow acquisition, dependence on arbitrary reinforcement and unlikely generalization to natural settings. Data will be presented regarding results of the use of a procedure with two children with autism which focuses on teaching the child to seek eye contact when making requests (manding). Implications of using such a procedure and placing a stronger emphasis on seeking eye contact from a listener will be discussed.

SRA’s ‘Language for Learning’ program has been proven to be effective for a variety of learners (general and special education). It is a scientifically based curriculum that prepares children for school. At times, children lack the competencies (e.g., echoic behavior) to access this program. The Competent Learner Model (CLM) prepares naïve learners with the critical repertoires necessary to be successful in the Language for Learning program. Currently, the CLM is being used in special education programs (i.e., school and home) and general education programs (i.e., pre-school and kindergarten classes) to prevent naïve learners from needing special education settings. This presentation will briefly describe the Language for Learning program and the features of the CLM that contribute to preparing kids for the Language for Learning program.

Understanding the Role of Motivation for Joint Attention Behaviors in Children with Autism Laurie A. Vismara, Ph.D., & Robert L. Koegel, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Joint attention involves coordinating attention between social partners with respect to objects and events in order to share the experience of the objects or events. Further, joint attention behaviors are characterized by the use of positive affective expression. Common examples of joint attention behaviors include alternating eye gaze to share attention, gesturing to follow the attention of another, and commenting to direct the attention of another. Various explanations have been offered in the literature on the underlying cause of joint attention deficits in autism. The literature suggests that children with autism do not engage in joint attention behaviors because these exchanges typically involve unpredictable, complex, and social stimuli. One possible explanation for the lack of joint attention is that children with autism are not capable of the complex cognitive skills required to produce joint attention under such circumstances. A second possibility is that children with autism are capable of producing joint attention but do not have the motivation to engage in these behaviors. The current study sought to examine whether using motivational procedures may improve joint attention in autism. A reversal design with alternating treatments was employed to assess whether incorporating the children’s perseverative interests may result in an immediate increase of joint attention behaviors following intervention for motivation to communicate. Data indicate increases in participants’ joint attention initiations as a result of using perseverative interests during intervention. As intervention continued, joint attention for shared affect was also found to generalize to non-perseverative interests without direct teaching. Lastly, supplemental findings included improvements in the type of communicative behaviors used to initiate joint attention, as well as in the quality of interaction between the participants and their caregivers. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and clinical implications for understanding the role of motivation in facilitating the development of joint attention in autism.

There has been a dramatic increase in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There is no commonly accepted objective measure for diagnosing ADHD and typical measures are often inadequate for treatment development and monitoring. A continuum of recent research will be described that involve a functional assessment of impulsivity based on temporal discounting, and the use of that methodology in comparisons of children with and without ADHD, in evaluating the effects of medication, and in developing and evaluating classroom-based interventions. The implications of research using these measures with respect to the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of ADHD will be considered.

The effects of reinforcement on intrinsic motivation have been evaluated extensively over the last 30 years, producing a heated debate on whether the use of reinforcement is in fact detrimental. In fact, some have suggested that the use of reinforcement should be avoided. The notion that the use of extrinsic reinforcement decreases intrinsically motivating behavior has been coined the “Overjustification Effect” (OJE; Lepper, et al. 1973). Research evaluating the OJE has produced mixed results. Moreover, the research that has been conducted is laden with methodological flaws. Thus, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of extrinsic reinforcement on intrinsically motivated behavior with an eye towards evaluating specific variables such as the expectancy of the reinforcement, reinforcement schedules, as well as evaluating multiple forms of intrinisically motivated behavior (e.g., play and academic behavior). In Experiment 1: the effects of expected and unexpected reinforcers on play behavior were assessed. Results demonstrated that reinforcement (regardless of expectation) increased play behavior and following the implementation of extinction play behavior remained high. The second experiment evaluated the effects of expected and unexpected reinforcers on academic performance. Results were similar to Experiment 1, in that no decrements in performance were observed when reinforcement was discontinued. Finally in Experiment 3 we evaluated whether the reinforcement schedule in place during reinforcement affected whether the OJE was observed. Results demonstrated that the OJE was not observed regardless of whether a fixed or variable schedule of reinforcement was utilized during reinforcement. Taken together these three experiments evaluated whether providing extrinsic reinforcement decreases intrinsically motivating behavior utilizing behavior analytic methodology. Implication with respect to the suggestion that the use of reinforcement is detrimental will be discussed in light of the current results.

The presentation will discuss important developments within the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) relating to growth and changes in the BACB including: new continuing education and recertification requirements, new professional experience and supervisor requirements, university coursework approval and new university practica approval, new examination administration procedures, new ethics requirements for certificants, new specialty credentials, and disciplinary standards. The presentation also will focus on development of the BACB in the future, particularly as it relates to International development, and will explore the possible role of BACB certifications and certificants in the US and abroad. Time will be provided for participant questions and discussion with the presenter.

It was suggested by Green (2005) that language training procedures for children with autism that are based on Skinner’s (1957) analysis of verbal behavior should not be disseminated until data supporting those procedures are obtained. The purpose of the current presentation will be to present an analysis of the existing data on the mand and intraverbal relations. In addition, an analysis of how the mand and intraverbal repertoires are addressed and taught in traditional discrete trial programs will presented. The results will show that there is empirical support for the distinction between the mand, tact, and intraverbal, and it is a mistake to assume these repertoires will emerge from the tact only training common to most discrete trial curricula.

Saturday, February 18, 2006      Presenting authors are indicated in UPPERCASE

As behavior analysts we are taught to assess and teach language through our analysis of the use and non-use of verbal language. Because of this, we often feel like we can teach or "know it all" when it comes to teaching language to children with autism. Yet there are many parts to the development of speech and language that behaviorists are not trained to do and should consult with other professionals. Teaming with a speech pathologist can enhance the quality of language services provided to the child with autism. Review the merging of the two methodologies, and the use of a new Decision-making Treatment Tree coordinated by a licensed Speech and Language Pathologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst to determine language curriculum and treatment.

Children receiving intensive 1:1 discrete trial training often show deficits in developing vocal speech, while receptive language skills are strong. In addition, there is beginning to be support shown for developing alternative means of vocal speech (e.g., writing or typing or word exchange) as a substitute for vocal, expressive speech. The purpose of this workshop is to provide training of expressive object labeling and other expressive language skills using writing, typing, and word exchange as a substitute for vocal speech response requirements. It is proposed that strengthening the "equivalence" properties of hearing vocal speech, seeing objects and constructing their corresponding written or typed responses through the use of a Reading and Writing Program based on the publication "The Reading and Writing Program," (Watthen-Lovaas & Lovaas, 1998), will facilitate the use of language, regardless of the formal characteristics of the expressive response.

Workshop participants will receive hands-on practice using a Reading and Writing board and corresponding materials. Additionally, they will leave with a Reading and Writing board, and receive a comprehensive manual outlining progressions and various methods of implementing a Reading and Writing Program based on case examples.

Intensive, ABA-based, early intervention programs for children with autism routinely utilize the discrete-trial teaching (DTT) format to address skill deficits commonly associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Typically, however, target objectives exist that cannot be addressed in an optimal fashion via the DTT format, objectives such as spontaneous communication, engagement in long response chains such as appropriate play, and the reduction of disruptive behavior. Consequently, DTT should not be the only teaching strategy employed in a comprehensive, ABA-based early intervention program. The presenters of this workshop will review other ABA-based strategies that are integral to an early intervention program designed to achieve best outcome with young children with autism. In addition to learning how to implement each strategy, participants will understand the relative benefit of each strategy when compared to DTT in addressing specific target objectives. The strategies that presenters will review will include:

• A shaping procedure to teach the establishment of spontaneous eye contact during all teaching interactions
• Mand training to promote spontaneous requesting and appropriate social pragmatics
• Independent Activity Schedules (McClannahan & Krantz, 1999)
• Hypothesis-driven, behavior management strategies to address disruptive behavior during early intervention sessions
• ABA-based supported inclusion in preschool settings

The purpose of the workshop is not to dissuade participants from using DTT; it is intended to highlight additional evidence-based strategies that, when used in combination with DTT, will generate a comprehensive, ABA-based early intervention treatment and education program.

Elimination disorders affect as many 25% of all children between 4 and 6 years of age. If incomplete toilet training of three year old children is included, the percentage can go as high as 50%. Historically, these problems were attributed to either character defect (stubborn, lazy) or psychopathology. A residue of these interpretations remains in United States culture along with widespread misunderstanding of the disorders. For example, incontinence is the second leading cause of child abuse. The advent of effective medical treatment diminished (but did not eradicate) the influence of characterological and psychopathological interpretations of elimination disorders and increased understanding of them, even among laypersons. But medical accounts often do not supply methods for addressing the non medical aspects of the disorders. And there is a gap in behavioral health services for afflicted children. Virtually all cases are first seen in primary care, but large percentages are incompletely treated due to limited time and behavioral resources of primary care physicians. This gap could be filled readily by well informed behavior analysts. This work shop will cover incomplete toilet training, functional encopresis, diurnal and nocturnal enuresis. The presentation will cover diagnosis and classification, assessment, relevant physiology, etiology, and effective treatment. The role of the behavior analyst will be emphasized, particularly in the areas of assessment and treatment.

TargetTracker is a program designed to help you manage large amounts of behavioral data effectively and efficiently. The program permits rapid and accurate data entry of different data types (frequency, interval, duration or trial) in a grid or a calendar like interface. Its sophisticated graphing and report component allows you to generate multiple baseline graphs, phase lines, and to analyze and summarize your data, by periods and environmental events. Future versions of TargetTracker will include a feature that allows you to work with remote databases over the Internet. During the workshop I will review and demonstrate how to use TargetTracker. We will go through several data entry and graphing exercises. You will get the most out of the workshop if you bring your laptop so that you can actively participate during demonstration training. For more information on TargetTracker, please visit www.behaviorchangeresources.com.

This workshop will teach attendees how to plan for and teach naïve learners for participation in Direct Instruction programs. Naïve learners are children who lack the fundamental skills to effectively participate in structured curriculum and instruction. Because they typically lack the participation competencies to engage in cued, choral responding and sustained active responding throughout scheduled instructional periods, naïve Learners require systematic programming to develop them. Participants will be oriented to the Competent Learner Model (CLM) and its approach and tools for developing participation competencies. Individual cases will be discussed and used to apply what is learned to actual cases.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide the participants with some tools that will allow them to assess a classroom to evaluate the quality of the program. In particular, we will provide training in the following areas:

• Classroom Climate Data: Participants will learn how to use a partial interval recording system to collect data on instructions, praise statements, and negative statements delivered by classroom staff and compare these data to classroom expectations.
• Communication Data: Participants will learn how to use a partial interval recording system to assess the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices and how classroom staff promote communication within the classroom setting. Participants will also learn how to compare these data to classroom expectations.
• Functional Assessment (FA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) Checklist: Participants will learn to assess the quality of an FA and BIP based on the criteria discussed through the workshop. There will be an emphasis on assessing the thoroughness of the FA in determining the function of the behavior as well as ensuring that the BIP is based on the function of the behavior.
• Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Checklist: Participants will learn to assess the quality of IEP goals based on the criteria discussed through the workshop. There will be an emphasis on ensuring that the baseline levels have quantitative values. In addition, there will be a focus on ensuring that the IEP goals are specific and measurable.

We know from the child abuse literature that children with disabilities are far more likely to experience abuse than their typically developing peers. The heaviest weighted risk factors for abuse are cognitive and language deficits that may compromise or preclude a child’s communication of maltreatment. Likewise, the research on elder and dependent adult abuse and neglect reflects a similar constellation of risk factors. Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Associates provide professional services, but unlike our licensed colleagues, we are not required to obtain continuing education in the detection and reporting of suspected abuse. This lack of requirement does not relieve us of our ethical & legal responsibility nor does it protect us from criminal and/or civil liability if we fail in that responsibility. This workshop will provide definitions of abuse [child, dependent adult, & elder], the laws, risk factors, research, reporting requirements [timelines], and civil & criminal penalties for failing to report suspected abuse. This workshop will use video re-enactments, redacted case records, and scenarios to illustrate instances of abuse. A pre-test and a post-test will allow the participant to self assess their level of mastery. Handouts will be provided.

The content of this 3 hour workshop will include The Child Abuse and Reporting Act (California Penal Code section 1164) and participants in this workshop will learn:

1. The definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect.
2. The definitions of Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse and Neglect.
3. The research based risk factors and a behavioral analysis of abusive interaction.
4. The decision criteria for making a report of suspected abuse or neglect.
5. The timelines for reporting and to whom the report must be made.
6. The civil & criminal penalties for failing to report in a timely manner.
   
   

The design and implementation of effective contingencies to solve problems of social importance is the sine qua non of behavior analysis. This workshop will provide assistance to educators and parents to make conspicuous the contingencies operating in a given situation. Participants will learn to formulate and deliver supplementary reinforcement contingencies as prescribed by best-practice recommendations. Each participant will receive a copy of a "Contingency Management" binder that compiles many of the contingencies known to reflect 'best practice' for achieving ethical change in problematic behavior. For service providers already familiar with the principles and operations of behavior analysis the worksheets contained within this binder will serve as a convenient means of standardizing communication and documentation of procedures. For those less familiar with Applied Behavior Analysis the booklet will provide an overview of the critical concepts, principles and operations that the ethical utilization of each of the contingencies contained therein. Each contingency description is designed so that that page can be copied and completed for an individual learner or client. Each participant will be required to select and complete a contingency worksheet for a Learner of his or her choice.

Most discrete trial programs that are designed for teaching language to children with autism make excellent use of behavior modification procedures such as prompting, fading, shaping, and differential reinforcement. However, the conceptual analysis of language that underlies these programs and their language curriculum are based on cognitive theories of language. The current workshop will present the benefits of adding a behavioral analysis of language (Skinner, 1957) to the existing discrete trial programs. Specifically, the focus of the workshop will be on the advantages of adding mand and intraverbal assessment and training to the existing language programs. In addition, behavior analysts will learn how to use the concepts from Verbal Behavior to analyze language curricula, language deficits, and several common language barriers experienced by children with autism.

At CALABA 2005, the topic of curriculum, or "what to teach" was discussed and posed as a further challenge to ABA clinicians to explore and consider. Treating children using the principles of ABA has become a well-researched method of successful treatment for children diagnosed with autism. Despite this, great debates are held in the form of articles, magazines and conferences regarding the use of ABA services as appropriate treatment. Those "against using ABA" to teach children with autism describe ABA as "robot-like" and teaching children "a series of unrelated and possibly unfamiliar activities reinforced by use of a reinforcer that may not have anything to do with the skill being taught". Perhaps contributing to this argument is the differences among clinicians on the "What, Where and How" to teach. Review the literature and areas of research to address appropriate curriculum and treatment that align with diagnostic criteria and symptoms of autism, including addressing areas of joint attention, social language and play, behavior awareness, executive functioning and theory of mind, self help and friendship building skills.

Many clinicians, schools, and parents are choosing to use computers to teach children with autism as many of these children are visual learners and are motivated to use computers. Computers offer many tools to increase efficiency, motivation, and efficacy. In this workshop, various teaching strategies using computers will be shown including innovative ways to use Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Publisher. In addition, the TeachTown treatment program, an ABA-based software assisted program, will be demonstrated and discussed. Research studies that have used computers with children with autism will be reviewed and discussed. Prompting, acquisition, discrimination, generalization, and reinforcement with computers will be discussed along with a discussion of the importance of research studies in advancing the science of technology for treatment of children with autism. Participants in this workshop will receive copies of research articles, presentation notes, resource list including helpful websites, and a demo copy of the TeachTown software and sample copies of non-computer TeachTown generalization activities.

Maladaptive and undesirable habits, tics, Tourette's Syndrome (TS), and stuttering are extremely common problems which can seriously affect the personal relationships and self esteem of individuals who suffer from them. Because these problems can cause acute psychological distress, many different types of treatments for them have been developed.

Habit Reversal is a behavioral treatment approach which has proven to be an effective, general treatment for habits and tics including TS (Azrin & Nunn, 1973; Azrin & Nunn, 1977; Nunn, 1978; Azrin, Nunn & Frantz, 1980; Azrin & Peterson, 1988a; Finney, Rapoff, Hall, & Christopherson, 1983; Franco, 1981; Zikis, 1983: Miltenberger, 2001).

In this workshop we will discuss the identification, nature, and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults with these type of problems. Specifically we will cover the diagnosis and treatment of individuals using the Habit Reversal and Regulated Breathing Treatment Procedures of Azrin and Nunn as well as treatment variations that have evolved from their original work. Case studies are included where possible and workshop participants are strongly encouraged to provide input.

This workshop will provide attendees with a basis for formulating programming for naïve Learners. Such programming requires determining (1) what repertoires are to be developed, (2) are there adequate stimuli available to affect change, (3) what contingencies will be designed given type of programming required, and (4) how can parts of the instructional conditions be arranged and re-arranged given required contingencies or programming? Application of these four formulation questions to classroom programming will be reviewed and discussed.

The Anova Center for Education (ACE School) is pioneering the use of intensive multidisciplinary treatment of students with a variety of neurodevelopmental impairments, primarily Asperger's Disorder, High Functioning Autism and Nonverbal Learning Disability. Our program is designed to serve children and adolescents in grades Kindergarten through 12th grade with an academic program that is highly individualized but meets state standards and uses state adopted text. The pupils at the ACE School have all been unsuccessful learning in public school environments due to serious behavioral and/or social/emotional challenges. Although most of our students are cognitively intact and quite expressive verbally, they are frustrated by sensory processing deficits, pragmatic language delays and emotional challenges such as anxiety or depression. In addition to these conditions, our students often present with profound impairments in Social Cognition (or 'Theory of Mind') that limit their ability to "take the perspective" of others in social situations. The combination of a bright and verbally expressive child with difficulties in sensory processing and social cognition often leads to serious emotional and/or behavioral problems, particularly around school environments.

All of our students have IEP's and are referred by local school districts that are unable to serve them from within their own resources. Our goal is to treat these pupils intensively for the shortest amount of time necessary before assisting with their successful return to a public school environment.

The Anova method of multidisciplinary treatment involves the frequent and direct use of Speech and Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist and other support services in clinic and classroom environments. Our professional therapists are employed directly by Anova (not subcontracted) and work from the classrooms and specially designed clinic space to seamlessly integrate their services into the entire school curriculum. Computer technology and adaptive software are important pieces of the academic program at the ACE School. Finally, we also integrate the principles and practices of Applied Behavior Analysis into every facet of our program by training our staff in Functional Analysis Assesment technology and Positive Behavior Intervention strategies, which are incorporated into our schoolwide and individualized behavior programs. We are a data driven program that designs measurable and observable goals for our students, based on formal assessment, and then continually revises these goals according to student progress.

BCBA's will learn about innovative new school programs that use the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. Participants will be able to act more knowledgably as Behavior Intervention Case Managers (or BICM) for the clients they serve and to more capably participate in making appropriate educational recommendations. Increasingly BCBA's are being asked to assess difficult to serve pupils and make service and placement recommendations.

This workshop will present a promising new methodology that provides measurable educational benefit for the students it serves, providing a valuable resource for the participants as they increasingly work in school based settings.

This workshop is designed to increase participants’ ability to ethically practice applied behavior analysis (ABA) by describing the characteristics of ethical dilemmas and introducing an Ethical Decision Making Model. This model incorporates codes of ethics documented in the Guidelines For Responsible Conduct For Behavior Analysts and ethical reasoning strategies. When making clinical decisions, many behavior analysts tend to believe that these decisions are solely based on the analysis of objective data and relevant evidences. However, in reality the decision-making process is also influenced by behavior analysts’ values, as well as societal values including those of service recipients. Behavior analysts often encounter ethical dilemmas when these values conflict. In facing with ethical dilemmas, behavior analysts need codes of professional conduct and ethically sound strategies to reach reasonable and practical resolutions. The Guidelines For Responsible Conduct For Behavior Analysts is helpful in many situations. In some cases, however, ethical dilemmas cannot be resolved by appealing to the existing guidelines or regulations. Part of this workshop is aimed at providing applied behavior analysts with ethical reasoning strategies in the event that the Guidelines alone is insufficient. These strategies are based on the relevant experience of the presenter and the available literature in the field of behavior analysis and related areas. The emphasis of discussion will be on the application of this model to various clinical settings, including natural homes, residential facilities, day programs, and educational programs.

Objectives: At the completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Recognize ethical issues in the field and their importance to the general public as well as to behavior analysts.
• Understand primary ethical principles that underline both societal values and the content of Guidelines For Responsible Conduct For Behavior Analysts.
• Identify and analyze ethical dilemmas that are often encountered by behavior analysts and other service providers.
• Assess and realize the usefulness of the Guidelines For Responsible Conduct For Behavior Analysts as a tool in making ethical decisions.
• Use the six steps delineated in the Ethical Decision Making Model to resolve ethical dilemmas that are likely to occur in the ABA service delivery process.

Activities: This workshop will use cases both provided by the presenter and generated by participants to illustrate the implementation of the steps in the Ethical Decision Making Model. Participants of this workshop will be encouraged to:

1. identify their values and to associate these values with primary ethical principles;
2. recognize the characteristics of ethical dilemmas that are likely to occur in the field of ABA; and
3. apply codes of professional conduct and six steps specified in the Ethical Decision Making Model to the cases that involve ethical dilemmas.

"How can a professional help my child with Autism if they don't understand?" So many times as parents we have to rely on professionals to tell us how to treat our children with Autism. But how can they, when Autism is so different with every child. When my son was diagnosed with Autism and regressed from a 70 word vocabulary to being a non-verbal child, I felt like professionals were unable to understand my situation. Empathy and understanding can be the difference in how parents and family react to a diagnosis or even accept professional help. I have spoken to groups on several occasions about how Autism has changed the lives of myself and my family.

This interactive workshop will provide detailed instructions for creating single subject design graphs using the Microsoft Excel software program. Participants will learn how to create reversal, multiple baseline, multi-element, and changing criterion design graphs consistent with JABA publication standards. They will also learn how to change Excel graphing options and update existing graphs. Both whole-group and individual instruction will be provided. This workshop is intended for clinicians, researchers, and students who graph data as part of their on-going activities. Prerequisite knowledge of Excel is not required, but participants should have basic computer skills. PLEASE NOTE: This workshop requires participants to provide their own battery-operated laptop computers with Excel software installed (participants may use any version of Excel).

Very few behavior analysts teach courses in child development. As a result, this important area is dominated by nonbehavioral viewpoints. This workshop will give you the knowledge and skills needed to be prepared to teach a course in child and adolescent development from a behavioral perspective. The workshop leaders will present the basic concepts of their behavioral-systems approach to child development. Methods of delivering the course, including a method of using Student Response Systems in an interteaching format will be demonstrated.