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Massachusetts Professionals in Behavior AnalysisMassachusetts Professionals in Behavior Analysis

201940TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

OCTOBER 2–4, 2019

BABAT 2019

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LEBRATING 40 Y

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BABAT 2019

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LEBRATING 40 Y

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Massachusetts Professionals in Behavior Analysis

BABAT2019

40TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OCTOBER 2–4, 2019

On behalf of our Board of Directors and Conference Planning Committee, we welcome you to our 40th Annual BABAT Conference!We are so happy you have joined us at our new venue at the DCU. We hope this

venue provides you with a wonderful conference experience and you leave inspired

by the new information, research, and data you contact through presentations and

workshops. Our membership and this behavior analytic community is so important to

us and we welcome any feedback or suggestions you might have as we spend the first

year in our new home.

Sincerely,

Your conference chairs: Allison Bergenholtz, Maureen Kelly, and Tracey Toran

Don’t Miss the BABAT Open Board and Business Meeting Thursday 10/3/19 at 6 pm in the Grand Ballroom

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BABAT2019 Massachusetts Professionals in Behavior Analysis

CONVENTION CENTERBallrooms / Meeting Rooms (Level 3)

Exhibition Hall (Level 1)

Working at Melmark means:• Applied Research Opportunities /

Scholarly Contributions to the Field

• Competitive Salaries

• Comprehensive Benefits

• Professional Development

• Career Advancement Opportunities

• Continued Training and Education / On-site BACB-approved Graduate Sequence

• Local and National Conference Attendance Opportunities

• Functional Analysis Curriculum Training

• Supervision Curriculum Training

• Tuition or Education Loan Reimbursement

PennsylvaniaCAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Melmark is Hiring for Pennsylvania, New England and the Carolinas

To see current openings, scan this QR code with your phone or go directly to our online job postings at: www.melmark.org/careers

Sarah Spanos, New England and the Carolinas Recruiter978-654-4354

[email protected]

Melmark New England 461 River Road

Andover, MA 01810 www.melmarkne.org

Melmark Carolinas8614 Pineville-Matthews Road

Charlotte, NC 28226www.melmarkcarolinas.org

Alexandra Venezia, Pennsylvania Recruiter610-325-4992

[email protected]

Melmark Pennsylvania 2600 Wayland RoadBerwyn, PA 19312 www.melmark.org

Make a difference in a child’s life and advance your career.

• BCBA Pennsylvania, New England and the Carolinas

• Senior Behavior Analyst - Adult Services Pennsylvania

• Adult Program Coordinator New England

We provide evidence-based ABA services for children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Melmark is Mission First. Every Individual, Every Day.

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CentralReach’s powerful all-in-one platform equips applied behavior analysis therapy practices and clinicians with the software and solutions needed to help them grow and improve client care.

• Billing• Scheduling• Authorization Management• Electronic Claim Processing• Secure Messaging

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INNOVATIVE PRACTICEMANAGEMENT & CLINICALSOLUTIONS

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The thing with homes is that they tend to change over time as a reflection of our ever-changing lives. Take my homes for instance. I grew up in a funeral home (my father was a funeral director). It was a happy and nearly typical upbringing. I remember laying on the floor in the funeral parlor doing my math homework, while my father fussed with the caskets. The house always smelled of flowers and I had the best Halloween sleepovers. It was a good home during that phase of my life.

College years and a series of college dorms and apartments…just what I needed at the time. When I first moved to Massachusetts, I moved into a tiny little studio apartment in Framingham. I recall having to purge my VHS collection because there wasn’t enough room for more than 3 or 4 movies. The mini fridge was perfect for my 5-item grocery list – I mean who had money to eat anyhow? It was a good home during that phase of my life.

After a short stint in a condo nearby, I moved in with my future husband and his roommates in what could be referred to as bachelor/bachelorette pad, or what could also be referred to as a home in which no one took responsibility for cleaning. It was filthy and fun. A perfect home for that phase in my life.

My husband and I started our marriage in a small ranch house that we couldn’t afford to make improvements on, but it allowed us to play grown-up when it suited us; planting a garden, having some dinner parties, and an actual basket we put bills in rather than throwing them in the backseat of the car. Just the home we needed at the time.

Eventually we bought a bigger house with fewer broken things in it. We came up with creative purposes for the new rooms. A room for each hobby. We were both finally done with school and hobbies were an actual consideration again. It was the perfect home.

Then, after 13 years together, came the children. Hobby rooms turned into nurseries, guest rooms morphed into play rooms, and eventually every room turned into a Lego depository. For this stage in our lives, our home is just what we need.

BABAT is our behavior analysis home in Massachusetts, but our home has changed over the years to suit our ever-changing profession. We started in the Berkshires, in a gym, with early leaders of our

field speaking under basketball nets. It was a fine home for the handful of individuals that were taking part.

We moved to the student center of UMass Amherst. A handful of attendees swelling into larger crowds over the years. More and more rooms added to accommodate the necessary multiple tracks. This was a perfectly fine home for many years.

During this time the needs of our community evolved. We needed more CE opportunities, more support, more guidance, more opportunities to connect, more advocacy, more representation, and our home expanded to our website and social media. A

virtual addition in which the volunteers participating in our organization’s committees could communicate their efforts. Additional events, newsletters, but always coming together in our annual meeting place. It was good…and then it wasn’t.

Our growth was rapid and our longtime home at UMass became restrictive. So we moved into a bigger home. And now Worcester and the DCU are our home. I anticipate it will need a little love to make it the best home for who we are now. Please be patient as we make this new house our home. Please be participatory in making our new home just right for you. Tell us what you need. Tell us what works. Tell us what doesn’t. I expect we’ll keep on changing and this will likely not be our forever home. But with a little effort from us all, I think it can be a perfect home for who we are right now.

Massachusetts Professionals in Behavior Analysis BABAT2019

New Homes

Stacie Bancroft, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, BABAT President

For 40 years, BABAT has been a professional home for behavior analysts in Massachusetts. A letter from the President

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Interested in learning more about BABAT, what we do, or ways to participate in our organization? If so, come to our BABAT OPEN HOUSE Business Meeting Thursday afternoon at 6 pm in the Grand Ballroom! Learn more about our mission, accomplishments, initiatives, and other fun facts about us. We will also have information about how you can actively participate in the organization. Whether you are a clinician, administrator, graduate/undergraduate student, or researcher, if you want to volunteer, we want to know! Attend the poster session prior to the Business Meeting. Following the meeting, join us for a small birthday celebration and pick up some of BABAT’s giveaways!

BABAT Open Board and Business Meeting Join us Thursday 10/3/19 at 6 pm in the Grand Ballroom

Please thank your 2019 Conference Planning Committee Conference Chairs: Allison Bergenholtz, Maureen Kelly, Tracey Toran

Conference Committee Members: Kathleen Cark, Rachel Farber, Patrick Heick, Brittany Hill, Adrienne Jennings, Becky Markovits, Kevin Schlichenmeyer, Alice Shillingsburg, Nick Vanselow.

BABAT also accepts volunteers for specific events or activities without a 2-year commitment. These opportunities are emailed out to interested individuals on an as-needed basis.

Please email [email protected] for any questions or interest in volunteering as a committee member.

It is the mission of BABAT to support the field of Applied Behavior Analysis year-round through advocacy for practice, support for the professional development of members, recognition of significant contributions, and the sharing of research and scholarship.


As you may recall, last summer, the BABAT Board of Directors initiated a new online application process. To promote the initiative, BABAT offered a free one-year trial membership for those who joined within the first three months. This initiative appeared to be an instant success as over 1600 members joined BABAT during this time. Since then, our membership has continued to grow and eclipsed 2100 active members in August 2019! Over two-thirds of members live in Massachusetts, with others residing across 37 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to the U.S., members live in 12 other countries including the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Iceland, Mexico, Russia, Germany, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.

To better understand the composition of BABAT membership, data from 2073 surveys, completed by members who joined between July 2018 and July 2019, were reviewed. Here are some highlights of the findings (with numbers rounded to the nearest whole):

» Almost 70% of members hold the BCBA credential with another 7% identifying as BCBA-D. Those with the RBT credential comprise 4% of membership while those with the BCaBA are just under 2% of total membership.

» Of members with other certifications, School Psychologists make up about 3% of membership, while others include Special Educators (1%) and Speech Language Pathologists (1%).

» Nearly half (45%) of our membership are Licensed Applied Behavior Analysts (LABA) in MA, while about 13% are licensed in other states. In addition, almost 2% of members are Licensed Assistant Applied Behavior Analysts in MA.

» Nearly 85% of members are female, with almost 70% of members in the 21-39 age range and about 30% over 40 years of age.

» About 86% of BABAT members are Caucasian, while fewer members identify as Hispanic/Latino (3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3%), African American/Black (2%) and Mixed Race/Biracial (1%).

BABAT Membership Update: New Online Process Supports a More Diverse and Growing Membership Patrick Heick, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA & Mary Jean O’Reilly, PhD, BCBA, LABA BABAT Technology and Membership Committees

On behalf of the BABAT Board of Directors, we’re thrilled to provide an update of our current membership and the incredible success of our online membership application process.

Our membership has continued to grow and eclipsed 2100 active members in August 2019.

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» Just over two-thirds of members live in MA, with 8% hailing from CT, 5% from NH, and about 2-3% each from NY, NJ, RI and VT. Approximately 27% of members live in other states.

» Most members work in MA (72%), followed by CT (10%), NH (5%), and about 2-3% each in NJ, NY, RI, and VT. Approximately 10% of members work in other states.

» Almost half of membership hold a master’s degree, while about 12% hold a bachelor’s degree and 9% hold a doctoral degree.

» More than two-thirds of members have degrees in Behavior Analysis, and about a quarter in psychology, with much smaller percentages in specific fields such as school psychology (3%), behavioral psychology (3%), and counseling or clinical psychology (about 4% each). Special educators make up 20% of our membership. Members also hold degrees in liberal arts, social work, communication disorders, and speech language pathology, with each of these fields represented by fewer than 5% of members.

» Almost 80% of members identified as practicing behavior analysts as well as administrators (15%), consultants (18%), program managers/supervisors (9%), professors/instructors (7%), students (7%), researchers (6%), direct care providers (5%), or psychologists (3%). About 2% of members identified as parents/guardians. Members working as school psychologists, speech language pathologists, and teaching assistants/aids reflect about 1% of membership each.

» Nearly 95% of members work with individuals with ASD. Just over half of our members work with individuals with developmental disabilities other than ASD. Others work with individuals with intellectual disabilities (41%), mental health diagnoses (34%), and brain injuries (14%). About 17% of members work with typically developing individuals.

» Most members described their primary area of work as Behavior Analysis (90%), followed by Education (30%), PBIS (18%), Behavior Therapy (16%), Teaching (13%), Direct Instruction (11%), OBM (5%), and Psychology (5%). Members also work in the areas of Counseling, Language Disorders, Precision Teaching and Social Work, with each of these areas represented by 2-3% of members. Less than 1% of members work in each of the areas of Medicine, OP/PT, and Pharmacology.

» About a third of our members work in public schools, while a slightly greater number work in home-based settings. Settings that employ between 10-20% of members include private schools, early intervention programs, residential schools and day programs. Fewer than ten percent of members work in each of the following fields: higher education, residential treatment programs, in-patient clinics, university centers or clinics, or other settings.

» Over 75% of members found value in the conference discount provided by enrolling as a member. Half of respondents (52%) enrolled to obtain the free trial membership, while slightly less (48%) joined to access professional practice resources. Networking opportunities were high on the list for about 43% of members, while others valued legislative advocacy (11%) and other membership benefits.

» The above reflects a current snapshot of our membership. And, given that our membership continues to grow, this snapshot will likely look different in the future.

Through this new online process, we’ve learned that some members overlooked or failed to anticipate the automatic annual renewal, were not aware of the option to opt-out of the automatic renewal, and/or were interested in non-recurring membership options. This feedback will inform the BABAT Board of Directors as we strive to improve member services and membership value. We hope that our members recognize that the BABAT Board continues to work to support our growing and more diverse membership. Indeed, we hope that the extraordinary efforts of our conference planning committee are evident through your experiences at our new conference venue. So, be sure to provide feedback on upcoming conference and membership surveys so we can continue to better support our membership and ultimately the practice of behavior analysis.

In addition to the U.S., members live in 12 other countries including the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Iceland, Mexico, Russia, Germany, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.

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Figs & PigsLocation: 50 Foster Street, Worcester, MA Phone: (508) 929-0701Information: Figs & Pigs Kitchen and Pantry is attached to the DCU center and offers a view of the city. Their traditional breakfast and lunch sandwiches come with names sure to make you giggle like “Let’s Taco Bout It” and “Getting’ Piggy With It”.

Hours: Monday – Friday: 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM

Joey’s Bar and GrilleLocation: 344 Chandler Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.797.3800Information: Joey’s Bar and Grille serves dinner and lunch with both light fare and full entrees. You’ll find an abundance of seafood and steak options on the menu.

Hours: Monday - Friday: 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM; Saturday: 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM; Sunday: Closed

City Bar and GrilleLocation: 395 Chandler Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.752.4222Information: City Bar and Grille has fresh, local, and unprocessed menu items filled with some American Classics. Find a comfortable place to hide away here in the quiet and subdued atmosphere.

Hours: Monday: Closed; Tuesday - Thursday: 1:30 AM to 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM; Friday - Saturday: 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Things to Do In Worcester County Contributors: Nichole Collins, Stephanie Nostin

The new 2019 location for the 40th Annual BABAT Conference provides lots of bustling restaurants, music, outdoor seating, and points of interest If you chose to venture out and enjoy some of the local scenery - check out the wide variety of venues to keep the good vibes going all day and evening long! Find your food info in Bites, Bars, & Beers and what to check out in Points of Interest & Shopping. Enjoy your time in Worcester!

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The Sole ProprietorLocation: 118 Highland Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.798.3474Information: When they say “sole” they mean all things fish and seafood! Only one of your colleagues that doesn’t like seafood? Don’t worry, there are many landlubber options too!

Hours: Monday-Friday: 11:30AM to 9:00PM; Saturday and Sunday: 4:00PM to 10:00PM (Check website for expanded hours.)

The BoyntonLocation: 119 Highland Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.756.5432Information: Looking for a tavern feel with an expansive beer list? Go check out the Boynton! You can also order to-go food online if you just want to head back to your room!

Hours: Monday -Sunday 11:00AM to 1:00AM

111 ChophouseLocation: 111 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.799.4111Information: Feeling a little fancy? Step up your dinner plans a notch at this incredible steakhouse. Menu items include steaks, chops, lobster, and ribs.

Hours: Monday-Sunday: 4:30PM to 9PM (Check website for expanded weekend hours).

Via Italian TableLocation: 89 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508-754-4842Information: Voted Best Italian Restaurant! Noted for their pasta, pizza, and parm specials, this Italian eatery has a variety of Italian feasts and a wine list to match!

Hours: Monday-Friday: 11:30AM to 9:00PM; Opens at 4:00PM on Saturday. (Check website for expanded weekend hours and Sunday Brunch)

The Flying Rhino Cafe & Watering HoleLocation: 278 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.757.1450Information: Looking for a unique eatery with a walk on the wildside? This menu is sure to give you some unconventional choices and some beats to fill the streets.

Hours: Sunday: 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM; Monday - Wednesday:11:00 AM to 11:30 PM; Thursday:11:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Friday - Saturday:11:30 AM to 2:00 AM

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Funky Murphys Bar & GrilleLocation: 305 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MaPhone: 508-753-2995Information: Always something going on here! Check the website for current events that include DJs, Sports, Trivia, and Live Music! The menu mixes new and old options to fill you up while you have a great time!

Hours: Sunday - Saturday: 11:00AM to 1:00AM

Wormtown BreweryLocation: 72 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 774.239.1555Information: For a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute cab ride from the DCU center, you can check out some of Worcester’s own excellent craft beers. While there are hops aplenty, they do NOT serve food. If you head there hungry, there is a great pizza option - Volturno Pizza Napoletana - right next door!

Hours: Monday: Closed; Tuesday – Thursday: 12:00PM to 9:00PM; Friday – Saturday: 12:00PM to 10:00PM; Sunday: 12:00PM to 7:00PM. Brewery Tours: FREE tours on Saturday & Sunday at 12:30PM, 1:30PM & 2:30PM.

Smokestack Urban BBQLocation: 139 Green Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.363.1111Information: Do you like BBQ? Find grits, gumbo, collard greens and ribs at this urban barbeque.

Hours: Monday-Thursday 4:30PM- 9:00PM; Friday & Saturday 12:00PM to 10:00PM; Sunday 12:00PM to 8:00PM

The Banner Bar & GrilleLocation: 112 Green Street, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.755.0879Information: If you are looking for a Sports Bar Vibe, come check out The Banner! Beyond just their menu and drinks, The Banner offers local talent and Live Music on Friday and Saturday nights as well as Wednesday night trivia, and daily Keno.

Hours: Sunday - Saturday: 11:00AM to 1:30AM

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EcotariumLocation: 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.929.2700Information: If you love science and nature, check out the Ecotarium in Worcester. It features several permanent and traveling exhibits, both inside and out, including the Alden Planetarium, a narrow-gauge train pulled by a scale model of an 1860s steam engine, and a variety of wildlife.

Hours: Monday: Closed; Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00AM to 5:00PM; Sunday: 12:00PM to 5:00PM

Worcester Art Museum Location: 55 Salisbury St, Worcester, MAPhone: 508.799.4406Information: Founded in 1896, the Worcester Art Museum’s (WAM) mission is to “connect people, communities, and cultures through the experience of art.”

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday: 10:00AM to 4:00PM; Third Thursday of the month: 10:00AM to 8:00PM

Hanover TheatreLocation: 2 Southbridge St, Worcester, MAPhone: 877.571.7469Information: The Hanover brings Broadway, music and more to Worcester, offering a variety of world-class artists and performances that have included “Kinky Boots,” “Jersey Boys,” Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, John Legend, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Disney Jr. Live and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

Hours: Contact the box office for show times in October 2019!

The Shoppes at Blackstone ValleyLocation: 70 Worcester-Providence Turnpike, Millbury, MAPhone: 617.232.8900Information: The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley is an outdoor shopping mall located just outside of Worcester in Millbury, Massachusetts on Route 146, 1-mile south of exit 10A of the Massachusetts Turnpike. If you like to shop, this mall has plenty of clothing, jewelry, electronics, and toy stores for you to choose from. There is also a Cold Stone Creamery located right next to an indoor movie theatre.

Hours: Sunday - Saturday: 10:00AM to 9:00PM

***Travel Information and Parking for DCU Center can be found on the BABAT Conference Site or at https://www.dcucenter.com/visitor-information/.

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Keith D. Allen, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. Allen is a Professor of Psychology at the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he is also Director of Psychology and of Academic Affairs. He completed his training in ABA at Western Michigan University and in clinical psychology at West Virginia University. His

clinical and research interests include parent training, pain and stress-related disorders in children, and management of noncompliance with medical/dental routines. He has published extensively on interventions to address behavioral health problems in children and adolescents and he has published a book on the science and practice of parent training. He has been awarded grants from NIH and the US Department of Education and has been recognized as both a Distinguished Researcher and as an Outstanding Teacher of the Year at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Cynthia Anderson, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. Anderson is a Senior Vice President at May Institute, and Director of the National Autism Center at May Institute. She earned her PhD in Clinical Child Psychology at West Virginia University and is a Board Licensed Psychologist and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. Her research centers on understanding factors that

influence successful adoption and sustained implementation of evidence-based practices in real-world settings. Current research projects are focused on assessment and treatment of severe challenging behavior, early intensive behavioral intervention, and school-based interventions. Current and past sources of funding for her research include the Institute for Education Sciences, U. S. Department of Education, and the Department of Defense. She currently serves as Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice and is on the editorial board of Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

John Austin, Ph.D. Dr. Austin is an internationally recognized expert in providing solutions to organizational challenges. He is founder of Reaching Results, a consultancy for management, motivation, leadership, and safety. Dr. Austin was also a Professor of Psychology at Western Michigan University. He has consulted with organizations

for 25 years to improve productivity and safety in various industries including aviation, health care and hospitals, chemical, higher education, construction, manufacturing, food service, transportation, glass and plastics manufacturing, utilities, government, and retail.

John and his teams have been instrumental in coaching over 10,000 work improvement, quality, and safety projects in 12 countries that have generated millions of dollars in improvements to businesses. They have coached over 350 senior leaders from more than 32 different companies to help them improve business performance.

In the area of improving human performance he has published nearly 100 articles and chapters, delivered hundreds of presentations at regional, national, and international conferences and business meetings, and has

published three books, Organizational Change, Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis, and Mindfulness at Work.

At Western Michigan University, John taught college and graduate level courses and conducted research in the areas of occupational safety, organizational performance improvement, consultation, motivation, and behavior change for 15 years. He earned his BA from the University of Notre Dame, and his MS and PhD from Florida State University.

John is on the Board of Directors for Revere Copper, America’s oldest manufacturing company, he is past Director of the Organizational Behavior Management Network, a past Trustee at the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, and a past member of the UK & USA based BMT Federation. He is past Editor of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and was on the board of editors for four other comparable scientific journals.

John offers online courses and coaching on effective leader conversations, and improving safety and human performance at work. You can get information about these at www.reachingresults.com.

Jason Bourret, Ph.D., BCBA-DJoined the New England Center for Children (NECC) in 2003. He currently serves as an Associate Director at NECC and as a faculty member in the master’s and doctoral programs in Behavior Analysis at Western New England University. Dr. Bourret has published over 20 research articles and book chapters. He

currently serves on the board of editors of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and has served in editorial roles for Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavioural Processes, the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. His work at NECC involves overseeing the design and implementation of clinical programing for over 200 residential and day students diagnosed with autism.

James E. Carr, Ph.D., BCBA-DChief Executive Officer of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. His professional interests include behavior analyst credentialing, behavioral assessment and treatment of developmental disabilities, verbal behavior, and practitioner training. Dr. Carr has published over 150 journal articles and book chapters on these

and other topics and this work has been cited over 5,500 times. Dr. Carr is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and has received awards from APBA, APA’s Division 25, and Autism Speaks. He is the past editor-in-chief of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and has served on the editorial boards of 11 behavior analysis journals, including 4 appointments as associate editor. Dr. Carr is the past president of the Colorado, Alabama, and Mid-American Associations for Behavior Analysis. He received his doctorate in 1996 from Florida State University under the mentorship of Dr. Jon Bailey and previously served on the behavior analysis faculties at University of Nevada-Reno (1996-1999), Western Michigan University (1999-2008), and Auburn University (2008-2011).

Our Invited Speakers and Distinguished Presenters

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A. Charles Catania, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus at UMBC and is Past-President of ABAI and of Division 25 of the American Psychological Association. He has served as Editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. He earned his Ph.D. at Harvard, where he conducted postdoctoral research in B. F. Skinner’s pigeon

laboratory. After a stint in psychopharmacology, he moved to the University Heights campus of NYU and then to UMBC. His research has focused both on nonverbal behavior as engendered and maintained by fundamental behavioral processes and on the special properties of verbal behavior that depend on those fundamental processes. His service as Director of an Applied Behavior Analysis Master’s track at UMBC allowed him to explore relations between the basic and applied areas of our field. He recently completed his latest book, “The ABCs of Behavior Analysis.”

Traci Cihon, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. Cihon received her master’s degree from the University of Nevada-Reno and her PhD from The Ohio State University. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at The University of North Texas where she teaches graduate level courses in ethics and behavioral systems

analysis and the undergraduate Organizational Behavior Management courses. She also co-coordinates the Cultural Selection Lab, conducting research that contributes to our understanding of how cultural phenomena develop from a systems and selections perspective. Dr. Cihon has developed behavioral interventions for individuals with and without disabilities in home and school settings both domestically and internationally. Her scholarship focuses culturo-behavioral systems science, verbal behavior, international and interdisciplinary dissemination of behavior analysis, and behavioral education. She serves on editorial boards for several peer-reviewed journals including The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, Behavior and Social Issues, Perspectives on Behavior Science, and the American Annals of the Deaf. Her most recent projects include co-editing a special section of Perspectives on Behavior Science focused on cultural and behavioral systems science and co-editing a book on cultural and community applications of behavior analysis that is part of a new ABAI book series - both with Dr. Mark Mattaini, and serving as the editor for a special section in Behavior and Social Issues on papers developed from the 5th Think Tank on Cultural Analysis.

Francesca Degli Espinosa, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Espinosa began her career in behaviour analysis working as a tutor for a child with autism, in the UK in 1996. During that time she became interested in interventions that could both define and establish generalised learning: the ability to demonstrate novel responses within and across operant classes without each

individual response having been previously reinforced. She was the Lead Clinician for the first UK-based EIBI outcome study (Remington et al., 2007) at the University of Southampton and within that context developed the Early Behavioural Intervention Curriculum (EBIC) an intervention framework derived from functional analyses of language to establish generative multiply controlled verbal behaviour, which subsequently formed the principal focus of her Ph.D. (2011).

Her clinical and research interests focus on advanced applications of contemporary analyses of verbal behaviour (Horne & Lowe, 1996; Michael, Palmer, & Sundberg, 2011) as a basis for teaching generalised verbal repertoires, and, thereby, as a means of minimising the need to teach specific individual verbal responses. Currently, she runs a small diagnostic and assessment clinic in the UK and teaches behaviour analysis at the University of Salerno, Italy, her home country.

Iser DeLeon, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Iser DeLeon earned his Ph.D. at the University of Florida, where he is now Professor in the Department of Psychology. Prior positions include Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Research Development for the Department of

Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. DeLeon is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) has served the behavior analysis community in multiple roles including President of the Board of Directors of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Associate Editor for both Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and member of the ABAI Science Board. His research has focused on assessment and treatment of aberrant behavior in persons with neurodevelopmental disorders, identification of preferences and determinants of choice, and translation of basic behavioral processes towards enhancing therapeutic and instructional outcomes.

Jaime Ann DeQuinzio, Ph.D., BCBA-DDr. DeQuinzio earned a doctorate in Psychology specializing in Learning Processes and Behavior Analysis from the City University of New York in 2009. She has specialized in the education and treatment of individuals with autism since 1998. She has provided consultation and training in both public and private schools and to families

on applied behavior analysis technology. Currently, Dr. DeQuinzio is a consultant and the primary researcher at the Alpine Learning Group, a preeminent autism treatment center in Northern New Jersey. She has been teaching since 2006 and has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and ABA as an adjunct at various universities and is currently an Applied Research Project Instructor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her research interests include observational learning, social referencing, stimulus control of problem behavior, and equivalence based instruction. She has published research and book chapters on topics including observational learning, social referencing, video modeling, independence, and reducing problem behavior, and has presented her work at both local and national conferences.

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Mark R. Dixon, Ph.D., BCBA-DProfessor and coordinator of the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program at Southern Illinois University. His interests include the study of complex verbal behavior, gambling addiction, and organizational behavior management. Mark has published 10 books and over 200 peer reviewed journal articles. He has served

as Editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, associate editor for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and a reviewer for over 20 non-behavioral journals. Dr. Dixon has generated over 2.5 million dollars in funding to infuse behavior analysis within local schools and treatment facilities, and create a behavioral therapy clinic for persons suffering from autism and related conditions. Mark’s research and/or expert opinions have been featured in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, National Public Radio, This American Life, Bill Nye Saves the World, a New York Times best seller, and regional affiliates of ABC, CBS, and PBS.

Jeanne Donaldson, Ph.D., BCBA-D. LBA

Dr. Donaldson earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Florida and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership at Texas

Tech University. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Louisiana State University. Her current research focuses on examining treatments for problematic behavior in young children in the context of three themes: (1) group-oriented contingencies, (2) time-out from positive reinforcement, and (3) token reinforcement. She was the 2018 recipient of the B. F. Skinner Foundation New Applied Researcher Award from APA Division 25. She is currently an Associate Editor at the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Dr. Donaldson is a BCBA-D and Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Louisiana.

Terry Falcomata, Ph.D., BCBA-DDr. Falcomatais an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Falcomata’s research emphasis is in the area of applied behavior analysis and the application of ABA technologies in the home and school. His research focuses primarily on the assessment

and treatment of severe challenging behavior displayed by individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Specifically, this research has focused on the use functional analysis methods and functional communication training (FCT) in the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior. His areas of interest include methods for increasing behavioral variability in individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, factors the impact the re-emergence of challenging behavior following treatment, and methods for preventing clinical relapse pertaining to challenging behavior.

Patrick C. Friman, Ph.D., ABPP Dr. Friman received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. He is the current Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska School of Medicine. He was formerly on the faculties of Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania,

and Creighton University Schools of Medicine. He was also formerly the Director of the Clinical Psychology Program at University of Nevada as well as the Associate Chairman of the Department of Psychology. He is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, in three divisions of the American Psychological Association, and of the American Board of Behavioral Psychology. He is the former Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and former President of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. He is currently on the editorial boards of four peer reviewed journals. He has published more than 200 scientific articles and chapters and three books. The majority of his scientific and clinical work is in Behavioral Pediatrics and Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Friman’s work in behavioral pediatrics has concentrated on the gap between primary medical care for children on one side, and referral-based clinical child psychological and psychiatric care, on the other. A secondary focus is on adolescent behavior and development. He also specializes in consultation regarding workplace issues such as motivation, dealing with difficult people, change, happiness and pathways to success.

Tim Hackenberg, Ph.D. Dr. Hackenberg received a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine in 1982 and a doctorate in Psychology from Temple University in 1987, under the supervision of Philip Hineline. He held a post-doctoral research position at the University of Minnesota with Travis Thompson from 1988-90.

He served on the faculty in the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Florida from 1990-2009, and is currently a Professor of Psychology at Reed College in Portland Oregon. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, of the Society for the Quantitative Analysis of Behavior, as Associate Editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, as President of Division 25 of the American Psychological Association, as the Experimental Representative to the ABAI Council, and as the Director of the ABAI Science Board. His major research interests are in the area of behavioral economics and comparative cognition, with a particular emphasis on decision-making, token economies, and social behavior. In work funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, he and his students have developed procedures for cross-species comparisons of complex behavior.

Luis Hagopian, Ph.D., BCBA-DLouis Hagopian received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Virginia Tech, and completed his predoctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Since then he has held a progression of positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he holds the rank of professor, and at the Kennedy Krieger

Institute, where he is a behavior analyst and director of neurobehavioral programs. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a licensed psychologist. Dr. Hagopian’s work involves the integration of clinical service, research, training, and advocacy for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He has consulted with numerous state agencies, disability service organizations, professional organizations, state attorneys general, and the U.S. Department of Justice for guidance on matters related

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to persons with autism and intellectual disabilities. This work includes the development of legislation supporting applied behavior analysis, standards for treatment, position statements, best practice guidelines, and expert consultation. Dr. Hagopian’s scholarly research and his teaching, administrative, and service activities all center on the assessment and treatment of the most recalcitrant forms and functions of severe destructive behavior. His research program is unique both in its design and in the positive clinical outcomes it produces. It serves as the model program for all others in the field who work with treatment-resistant destructive behavior. Dr. Hagopian’s innovations include advances in functional analysis and treatment of severe behavior disorders, and improvements in the practicality of function-based treatments in natural environments through schedule thinning, classification of automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior, and methods for conducting large-scale analyses. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Dr. Hagopian’s large body of programmatic clinical research is that each study he has published on severe destructive behavior has had immediate and important clinical relevance and applicability.

Gregory P. Hanley, Ph.D., BCBA-DDr. Hanley has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities for more than 20 years. He worked and trained at the Spurwink School, the Groden Center, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute; earned his Ph.D. at the University

of Florida; and was tenured at the University of Kansas. He is currently a professor of psychology and director of the Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program at Western New England University and an adjunct professor of psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Hanley has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals in areas such as the assessment and prevention of problem behavior, teaching tactics for young children, and evidence-based values. Dr. Hanley is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 25), past editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP), and a past associate editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Behavior Analyst, and BAP.

William L. Heward, Ed.D., BCBA-DProfessor Emeritus in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. A Fellow and Past President of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Bill has been a Fulbright Scholar in Portugal, a Visiting Professor of Psychology at Keio University in Tokyo and at the University of

São Paulo, and given lectures and workshops in 22 other countries. His publications include the books Applied Behavior Analysis (with John Cooper and Tim Heron), Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education (with Sheila Alber-Morgan and Moira Konrad), and Sign Here: A Contracting Book for Children and Their Parents (with Jill Dardig), each of which has been translated into several foreign languages. Awards recognizing Bill’s contributions to behavior analysis include the Fred S. Keller Behavioral Education Award from the American Psychological Association’s Division 25, the Ellen P. Reese Award for Communication of Behavioral Concepts from the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, and the Distinguished Psychology Department Alumnus Award from Western Michigan University. Bill’s research interests include “low-tech” methods for increasing the effectiveness of group instruction in inclusive classrooms.

Einar T. Ingvarsson, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA

Director of Clinical Services at Virginia Institute of Autism (www.viacenters.org) and Adjunct Faculty in the Curry School of Education at University of Virginia. He is former associate editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and currently serves on the editorial boards of

those journals, as well as the European Journal of Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Interventions. His research interests fall within the areas of verbal behavior, skill acquisition, and functional assessment and treatment of problem behavior. Einar has published over 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Michael Kelley, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. Kelley received his doctorate in School Psychology with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis from Louisiana State University in 2003. Dr. Kelley has held faculty positions at Marcus Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, the University of Southern Maine in Portland, ME, and The Munroe-Meyer Institute

at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE. His research interests include assessment and intervention for severe behavioral disorders, pediatric feeding disorders, the symptoms of autism, and treatment relapse. Dr. Kelley has served on the Board of Editors for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB), and has served as Associate Editor for JABA. He has also served as a Co-Principal Investigator for several federally funded grants.

Nan Leonard, J.D., BCBANan received her AB degree from Harvard University, her JD from Boston College Law School, her EdS from Simmons College and MHA from Suffolk University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst. She completed a fellowship at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Center in developmental disability public policy.. She drafted the autism healthcare mandate for Massachusetts which provides ABA coverage for children and adults. Her next initiative is to expand access to ABA for adults through Medicaid. Nan has 24 year old triplets including a son with developmental disabilities. She is a board member of Nashoba Learning Group.

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Rebecca MacDonald, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. MacDonald is a Licensed Psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who specializes in the education and treatment of children with autism through her work at the New England Center for Children. For the past 15 years she served as the Director of the Early Intensive Instructional Program providing EIBI to

the youngest children with an ASD diagnosis at the center. She has faculty appointments at Simmons College and Western New England University. Dr. MacDonald received her doctorate in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas. She regularly presents her research at national and international conferences and has published numerous articles and book chapters focusing on teaching social skills to children with autism. Her work has been support by both federal (NICHD) and private (OAR) grant sources. She recently served as a federal D.O.E. grant reviewer for the “Race to the Top” birth to 5 competitions. Her current research interests include assessing and teaching joint attention, the use of video modeling as a method of instruction for both children and teachers, and measuring clinical outcomes of early intensive behavior intervention.

Charna Mintz, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. Mintz is the Vice President of Pacific Northwest Clinical Operations for Caravel Autism Health. She began her career as a special educator, receiving her Ph.D. in 2003 from the University of Nevada, Reno. Since graduating she has served as the chief behavior analyst for an adult residential center in

Nashville, Tennessee and provided extensive school based consultation in New York. She spent 18 months developing center-based services for young children with autism in Perth, Australia. Most recently she served as the Executive Director at Imagine Behavioral and Developmental Services of Washington and Integrated Development Services of Wisconsin, overseeing the successful merger with Caravel Autism Health earlier this year.

In recent years, Dr. Mintz has been actively involved in both local and national behavior analytic communities serving as the co-chair of the public policy committee through the Washington Association for Behavior Analysis (WABA). As a result of her work, in conjunction with her co-chair, the state of Washington successfully passed a law licensing behavior analysts, assistant behavior analysts and behavior technicians. Dr. Mintz has served as the president of WABA (2016-2018), a board member of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) (2014-2017) and most recently president-elect for APBA (2017-Present).

Nancy Neef, Ph.D.Dr. Neef is Professor Emerita at The Ohio State University. She has served as President and Chair of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, on the Executive Council for the Association for Behavior Analysis International, on the Advisory Board of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts,

as Editor of The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and as Associate Editor or on the Editorial Board for 11 journals. Her work, along with her co-authors, has resulted in over 70 publications and has been cited more than 1000 times. She was appointed a Fellow of ABAI; was a recipient of the American Psychological Association, Division 25’s Outstanding Applied Research Award; the first WMU alumnus Achievement Award in Psychology, an ABAI Outstanding Mentor Award, and a SEAB Victor G. Laties Award.

Chris Newland, Ph.D. Dr. Newland conducts research on the behavioral effects of drugs and environmental contaminants, including topics such as reinforcement processes, choice, the acquisition of new behavior and its persistence. A life-span development approach is threaded through his research, so he has

examined early development, aging and, more recently, adolescence, all in experimental models. He draws from the experimental analysis of behavior, environmental health, psychopharmacology, and quantitative models of behavior, to explore how the neural consequences of drug and toxicant exposure are expressed behaviorally.

He teaches clinical psychopharmacology and behavior principles in Auburn’s master’s program and basic neuroscience in the doctoral programs. His involvement with applied behavior analysis program has given him an appreciation of how findings from the behavioral pharmacology laboratory might be applicable in the clinic.

Dr. Newland sits on the editorial board of behavioral and environmental health journals and is Editor of Perspectives on Behavior Science and an Associate Editor of Neurotoxicology. He is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and currently is a member of the ABAI Council. Dr. Newland is honored to be awarded the APA’s Division 25 award for Distinguished Contributions to Behavior Analysis and Auburn’s Creative Scholarship Award.

Allen Neuringer, Ph.D. Allen Neuringer obtained a B.A. from Columbia College (1962) and a Ph.D. from Harvard (1967). He has been teaching at Reed College in Portland, Oregon from 1970 until his retirement as MacArthur Professor of Psychology in 2008. He continues to teach one course each year, with the unusual title of “Functional

Variability.” His research, mostly done in collaboration with Reed students, has shown that pigeons can discriminate among musical episodes, e.g., Bach versus Stravinsky; that pigeons’ self-control is governed in ways similar to that of children; and that pigeons will respond for food reinforcers even when food is freely available, sometimes referred to as contra freeloading. He has published on self experimentation and recently gave the plenary address at the International Quantified Self Conference. Since the early 1980’s his research has focused on reinforced variability and its relevance for therapies, teaching, and an understanding of volition. He lives in a forested area in western Oregon, in a house he built (from the ground up) with Martha, his love, and Reed students.

Dave Palmer, Ph.D. Dr. Palmer earned bachelor’s degrees in geology and English in 1969, but he immediately abandoned all pretense of getting a responsible job. He stumbled on the book Walden Two and spent the next decade on a soap box talking about Skinner, trying to start an experimental community, and reading the rest of the Skinner

canon. Eventually he despaired of saving the world and entered graduate school in behavior analysis under John Donahoe at the University of Massachusetts. His main preoccupation in graduate school was extending Skinner’s interpretations of complex behavior. In particular, he wondered how behavior analysis could explain memory and language, and he has spent the rest of his professional career on the same question. He is the co-author, with Donahoe, of Learning and Complex Behavior, a book that attempts to integrate behavior analysis with physiology

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and to embed the field in the context of the broader study of selectionism. Last year, Palmer retired from 30 years of teaching statistics and behavior analysis at Smith College, but he continues to teach verbal behavior in the graduate program at Western New England University and will continue to do so until senility claims him. He lives on the site of a failed experimental community in Leverett, Massachusetts with his wife, cats, and chickens, his own chicks having fledged and left the nest.

Dennis Reid, Ph.D., BCBA-D Over 40 years of experience as a clinician and supervisor in educational, residential, and community support settings for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and has consulted with human service agencies in the majority of states of the United States as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He

has published over 140 refereed journal articles and book chapters focusing on applied behavior analysis and authored or co-authored 12 books. In 2007 he was awarded Fellowship status in the Association for Behavior Analysis International and in 2006 received the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities International Research Award. Dennis is the founder and current director of the Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center in Morganton, North Carolina. His company has employed people with autism and other severe disabilities in a supported work capacity for more than 25 years.

Joel Ringdahl, Ph.D., BCBA Currently serves as an Associate Professor for the Special Education Program in the Communication Sciences and Special Education Department at the University of Georgia. He received his Ph.D. (1999) and MA (1995) in Psychology from Louisiana State University, and his BS (1992) in Psychology from the University of Florida. He currently serves on

a number of boards of editors for such journals as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Development, and Education and Treatment of Children. In addition, he is the incoming editor-in-chief for the journal Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice. Dr. Ringdahl recently concluded his 4-year term as a standing panel member with NIH’s Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities study section. Dr. Ringdahl’s research interests include assessment and treatment of severe behavior problems exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. He also conducts research in the areas of individual preference, functional communication training, and translational research related to behavioral momentum theory and behavioral economics. Dr. Ringdahl has published a number of scholarly works, including 60 peer-reviewed articles, several chapters, and a text book on behavior analysis. His research has received near continuous funding through the National Institutes of Health since 2000, and has been published in such journals as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, and the American Journal of Genetics. His currently funded project evaluates variables that contribute to the maintenance of treatment effects related to severe problem behavior.

Ilene Schwartz, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Ilene Schwartz is a professor in the Area of Special Education at the University of Washington and the Director of the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at UW. She earned her Ph.D. in child and developmental psychology from the University of Kansas and is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D). Dr. Schwartz has an active research

and professional training agenda with primary interests in the area of autism, inclusive education, and the sustainability of educational interventions. She has had consistent funding from the U.S. Department of Education since 1990 and serves on a number of editorial review boards including the Topics in Early Childhood Special Education and the Journal of Early Intervention. Dr. Schwartz is the director of Project DATA, a model preschool program for children with autism that has been in operation since 1997 and was started as a model demonstration project with OSEP funding. She is currently working on projects to improve the quality of instruction students with disabilities receive in charter schools and strategies that can be used to improve access to services for young children with ASD in under resources areas.

Tyra P. Sellers, J.D., Ph.D., BCBA-DDr. Sellers is the Director of Ethics at the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. She earned a B.A. in Philosophy and M.A. in Special Education from San Francisco State University, a J.D. from the University of San Francisco and a Ph.D. from Utah State University. Her professional and research interests focus on professional ethics, training

and supervision, assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior, variability, and verbal behavior. Dr. Sellers has over 20 years of clinical experience working with individuals with disabilities in a wide variety of settings. She currently serves as an associate editor for two journals and is on the editorial board for a third.

Tina M. Sidener, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA(NY)

Dr. Sidener is department chair and professor in the Applied Behavior Analysis department at Caldwell University and Clinical Supervisor in the Caldwell University Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Western Michigan University in 2006 under the mentorship of Dr. Jim Carr

and completed a pre-doctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Sidener has over 20 years of experience providing ABA services and conducting research with individuals with developmental disabilities. She has served on the board of and published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, Education and Treatment of Children, and Behavior Analysis in Practice. Her clinical and research interests include teaching verbal behavior and play skills to children with autism spectrum disorder, establishing conditioned reinforcers, and interventions for stereotypy.

Mark Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. Sundberg received his doctorate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University (1980) under the direction of Dr. Jack Michael. He is the author of the VB-MAPP, and co-author of the original ABLLS and the book Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities. He has

published over 50 professional papers and 6 book chapters. He is the founder and past editor of the journal The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, a twice past-president of The Northern California Association for Behavior Analysis, a past-chair of the Publication Board of ABAI, and has served on the Board of Directors of the B. F. Skinner Foundation. Dr. Sundberg has given hundreds of conference presentations and workshops nationally and internationally, and taught 80 undergraduate and graduate courses on behavior analysis, verbal behavior, sign language, and child development. He is a licensed psychologist with over 40 years of experience. Dr. Sundberg’s

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latest publication is a book chapter titled “Verbal Behavior” in Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.) by Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2020). His awards include the 2001 “Distinguished Psychology Department Alumnus Award” from Western Michigan University, and the 2013 “Jack Michael Outstanding Contributions in Verbal Behavior Award” from ABAI’s Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group.

Bridget Taylor, Psy.D., BCBA-D Co-founder and CEO of Alpine Learning Group and is Senior Clinical Advisor for Rethink. Dr. Taylor has specialized in the education and treatment of children with autism for over 30 years. She holds a Doctorate of Psychology from Rutgers University, and received her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special

Education from Columbia University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Psychologist. She is currently President of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and serves on the Autism Advisory Group for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Active in the autism research community, Dr. Taylor has published numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters on effective interventions for autism. She is an international presenter and serves in an advisory capacity for autism education and treatment programs both locally and abroad. Dr. Taylor was recently recognized by the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis International for her outstanding contributions and was given ABAI’s Fellow designation. Dr. Taylor is considered a leading authority on effective, and innovative interventions for autism.

Jeff Tiger, Ph.D., BCBA-DAn associate professor of psychology and the behavior analysis program director at Marquette University. He completed his Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology at the University of Kansas under the guidance of Greg Hanley and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center with Wayne Fisher.

Dr. Tiger is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and licensed behavior analyst in the state of Wisconsin. He has served on the board of editors of Behavior Analysis in Practice and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) and is a current Associate Editor for JABA. He also received the BF Skinner New Researcher Award in 2012, awarded by Division 25 of the APA. Dr. Tiger’s research emphasizes the development of effective intervention practices for individuals with developmental disabilities, while extending our knowledge of the basic processes that result in behavior change. Some examples of his research include evaluating the value of choice-making opportunities, developing stimulus control over social behavior through multiple schedule arrangements, and teaching braille related skills to individuals with and without visual impairments.

Laura B. Turner, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBAProgram Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT. She earned a B.A. in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Binghamton University-SUNY. During her doctoral program, Dr. Turner specialized in the

behavioral assessment, acquisition and treatment of fear and anxiety in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the Institute for Child Development and the May Institute. She is also a Licensed Behavior Analyst with 13 years of experience supporting individuals with a range of developmental,

learning, behavioral and emotional difficulties. Dr. Turner has supervised undergraduate and graduate behavior analytic trainees in public and private schools, inpatient units, outpatient centers, and residential and home-based settings. Her most recent scholarly work focuses on evidence-based instructional and supervision practices for training future behavior analysts. Dr. Turner is a Consulting Editor for Child and Family Behavior Therapy and serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for Behavior Analysis in Practice and the Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities.

Michele Wallace, Ph.D., BCBA-D Dr. Wallace earned her doctorate from the University of Florida in 2000 in the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. She is a Full Professor and the ABA program coordinator at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Wallace has served on the Board of Editors for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis

and is a current member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the California Association for Behavior Analysis. She has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in the State of Florida since 1993 and a National Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2000. Dr. Wallace provides consultation locally, across the United States, and internationally. Dr. Wallace is one of the authors of a premier textbook in behavior analysis (Behavior Analysis for Lasting Change) and is the first author of a new RBT textbook (Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis for Behavior Therapist and other Practitioners). She has over thirteen first authored publications, thirty-four co-authored publications, and has presented over 310 presentations. Her current research interest are related to the refinement of assessment and treatment methodologies with respect to behavior problems, parent and staff training, the acquisition of verbal behavior, and real-world application of applied behavior analysis.

Amy Weinstock, MArch Amy Weinstock, MArch is the Director of the Autism Insurance Resource Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, and an instructor in the medical school’s Department of Psychiatry. She has an extensive background on insurance issues related to autism and

has played a key role in passing several significant pieces of autism insurance legislation in Massachusetts. Amy also serves as a trustee of the Riverview School, and as a Commissioner on the State’s Autism Commission.

Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-DMary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D is a Professor at Endicott College, where she has been for 8 years, and where she directs the Department of ABA, including the master’s programs in Autism and ABA and in ABA, and the Ph.D. Program in ABA. Dr. Weiss also does research and training at Melmark. Dr. Weiss has worked in

the field of ABA and Autism for over 35 years. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University in 1990 and she became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. She previously worked for 16 years at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University, where she served as Director of Research and Training and as Clinical Director. Her clinical and research interests center on defining best practice ABA techniques, exploring ways to enhance the ethical conduct of practitioners, evaluating the impact of ABA in learners with autism, teaching social skills to learners with autism, training staff to be optimally effective at instruction and at collaboration, and maximizing

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family members’ expertise and adaptation. She serves on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, is on the Professional Advisory Board of Autism New Jersey, is on the board of Association for Science in Autism Treatment, is a regular contributor to the ABA Ethics Hotline, and is an advisor to the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. She is a regular reviewer for a variety of professional journals, and is a frequent member of service committees for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. She is also a Past President of the Autism Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, a former member of the Board of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts, and a former Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Autism New Jersey.

Dave Wilder, Ph.D., BCBA-DA Professor and Chair of the Campus-based Behavior Analysis programs in the School of Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. Dr. Wilder has published over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA)

and the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management (JOBM). He is also on the editorial boards of Behavioral Interventions, Education and Treatment of Children, and Behavior Modification. He has served as President of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis (FABA) and the Organizational Behavior Management Network and is a recipient of the outstanding scientific contributions to behavior analysis award from FABA. Dr. Wilder has consulted at the individual and organizational level to businesses, schools, private homes, hospitals, group homes, and day treatment centers and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D).

Jennifer Zarcone, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Currently the Vice President of Clinical Services and Training at the May Institute. Dr. Zarcone provides consultation and clinical support to staff around

severe problem behavior, staff and parent training, and medication monitoring.

Dr. Zarcone obtained her doctoral degree from the Experimental Analysis of Behavior program at the University of Florida, Department of Psychology in 1993. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a licensed psychologist.

Dr. Zarcone has served as a co-investigator on several multi-center clinical trials in autism research at the University of Rochester Medical Center and on self-injury at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is interested in further development of research in the effects of pharmacological and behavioral interventions in the treatment of severe behavior disorders as well as repetitive behavior disorders in individuals with autism.

Dr. Zarcone has served in several leadership positions for the Association of Behavior Analysis (ABAI) on the ABAI Practice Board and she is a current member of the Science Board. She was the conference coordinator for the annual Autism Conference and a Fellow of ABAI. She served as an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and is currently an associate editor for the Journal of Intellectual Disabilities Research and the American Journal of Developmental Disabilities. She is serving as Guest Editor for the Behavior Analysis in Practice special issue on Diversity and Inclusion. She is currently on the board of Women in Behavior Analysis and the Gatlinburg Conference for Research in Developmental Disabilities.

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10:00 AM-4:00 PM, Showcase Corner Conference check-in

12:30 PM-3:30 PM, Meeting Room A

Workshop: Working with Staff to Overcome Challenging Behavior among Adults with Severe Disabilities: Strategies and Pitfalls. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) DENNIS REID (Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center).This workshop will describe evidence-based ways of working with staff to overcome challenging behavior among adults with severe disabilities, with a particular focus on ensuring quality implementation of behavior support plans (BSPs). Topics to be covered include assessing and structuring environments that reduce the likelihood of problem behavior, initiating and maintaining staff “buy in” for carrying out BSPs, preparing BSPs that facilitate staff implementation, effectively and efficiently training staff in BSP implementation, monitoring staff implementation of BSPs in a manner acceptable to staff, and practical strategies to support and correct implementation performance of staff. Additionally, common pitfalls that impede effectively working with staff will be described, with an emphasis on how to avoid the pitfalls using alternative strategies.

12:30 PM-3:30 PM, Meeting Room B

Workshop: The Evolution of a Science: A Brief History of Behavior Analysis in the Twentieth Century. (3.0 CEUs: BACB) A. CHARLES CATANIA (Professor Emeritus, UMBC); NANCY NEEF (Professor Emerita, The Ohio State University).This history of our science reviews its origins and the co-evolution of its basic and applied research. Major events include: Precursors through the 19th century: Darwin, Thorndike and others; The 1900s: Behavior emerges as a subject matter; The 1910s: Watson’s *Behaviorist Manifesto*; World War I; The 1920s: Learning theorists; the Great Depression; The 1930s: Skinner joins Keller at Harvard and later writes *The Behavior of Organisms*; The 1940s: World War II leads to shaping, Walden Two, the Aircrib, other innovations; The 1950s: The Cold War and Sputnik provide context for *Science and Human Behavior*, *Verbal Behavior*, *Schedules of Reinforcement*; SEAB and JEAB are founded; The 1960s: The science grows despite cognitive-behavioral culture wars; JABA is founded; we develop our own organizations; applications grow alongside basic work (“psychotic children,” time out, teaching machines); The 1970s: Various applications aid in the founding of programs; international extensions grow; the field, with roots in psychology, sees a viable future outside it; The 1980s: Treatments of autism and other developmental issues establish conditions for credentialing and other professional extensions; The 1990s: Behavior analysis thrives only in cultural niches, but an explosion of applications brings increasing recognition; The 21st Century: Where do we go from here?

12:30 PM-3:30 PM, Meeting Room C

Workshop: Understanding the Basics of RFT & ACT, and How-to Apply Them As a Behavior Analyst. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) MARK DIXON (Southern Illinois University).This workshop is designed for the practicing behavior analyst in a wide range of clinical settings that is looking for a better understanding of Relational Frame Theory and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The presenter will be move from the origins, the research, and the implications these post-Skinnerian approaches have on everyday practice. Benefits include a more comprehensive account of language, how that language can be taught to persons with disabilities, as well as the troubles language can get clients into as they begin to move from pure contingency control towards rule governed dominance. By the end of this workshop the attendee will be able to: Describe how RFT and ACT originated, the key research findings, and the overlap and uniqueness with prior behavioral accounts of language. Describe the key elements of what a relational frame is and the six processes used in ACT. Provide examples of tools that behavior analysts can use to enhance their practice based on RFT and ACT.

(SCHEDULE CONTINUES P. 29)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019: THE BEHAVIOR ANALYST MASTER SERIES

Massachusetts Professionals in Behavior Analysis

BABAT2019

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See why nearly 100 BCBAs chose BCI!

Apply today at: www.bciaba.com/employment

Behavioral Concepts Innovations is actively seeking the best BCBAs to fill positions in the Worcester, Fitchburg, Spring-field, Southeastern MA, and Northeastern MA areas.

Join our team and enjoy competitive pay, excellent standard benefits as well as a choice of additional benefits including: sign-on bonus, additional PTO, work from home, student loan repayment, and more.

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WE OPTIMIZE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE INDIVIDUALS WE SERVE.

AndersonCenterForAutism.org

At Anderson we give children with autism freedom, choices, and opportunities for growth so they

live a life of quality - learning, working, playing, relaxing, making art or music. This mission is at the

heart and soul of the work of Anderson’s 850 employees.

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Designed for paraprofessionals, caregivers, and other educators, ABAplus® provides the foundation you need to use ABA in your teaching.

SELF-PACED, ONLINE LEARNING

Two course options:

• Introduction to ABA

• RBT* course (for those pursuing the RBT credential)

www.necc.org/aba-plus

®

*The RBT training program is based on the Registered Behavior Technician Task List and is designed to meet the 40-hour training requirement for the RBT credential. The program is offered independent of the BACB.

A PRODUCT OF

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For additional dates or to learn more, contact the Office of Graduate Studies Admission at:

617-521-2915 | [email protected]

simmons.edu/academics/graduate-programs/graduate-studies

Simmons’ highly regarded Behavior Analysis programs provide a rigorous academic experience, with an emphasis on innovative research and varied applications. Our Ph.D. program in Behavior Analysis is designed to train and position qualified behavior analysts to make significant contributions to the science and to the community. Our on-campus M.S. in Behavior Analysis program is the only master’s degree in New England that is accredited by the Behavior Analysis Accreditation Board (BAAB) of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Our Verified Course Sequence provides exceptional preparation for the BCBA® exam.

JOIN US FOR AN UPCOMING INFORMATION SESSION

Thursday, October 10 at 5:00 pmSaturday, November 23 at 10:00 am

Investigating the science of behavior

Our programs:SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS

EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES

HOME- AND CENTER-BASED THERAPY

SCHOOL CONSULTATION AND TRAINING

DIAGNOSTIC AND ASSESSMENT SERVICES

ADULT RESIDENTIAL AND DAY PROGRAMS

GLOBAL ABA SERVICES

We serve individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities,

brain injury, and other neurobehavioral disorders across the country.

TEL: 800.778.7601 ! WEB: mayinstitute.orgCORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: 41 Pacella Park Drive, Randolph, MA 02368

Committed to state-of-the-art behavior analytic research and practice across the lifespan

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12:30 PM-3:30 PM, Meeting Room E

Workshop: An Overview of Assessment and Treatment Options to Address Problem Behavior Maintained by Automatic Reinforcement. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) JOEL RINGDAHL (University of Georgia).

The functional analysis of self-injurious behavior (SIB) developed by Iwata and colleagues provided researchers, clinicians, and practitioners a basis for developing treatments based on the reinforcers demonstrated to maintain SIB, and other challenging behavior. Based on epidemiological data, automatic reinforcement maintains SIB for roughly one-quarter of individuals for whom data are reported, highlighting the importance this category of challenging behavior, even before considering non-injurious, disruptive behavior also maintained by automatic reinforcement. Thus, the assessment and treatment of problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement represents important endeavors, likely to be undertaken in clinical practice for those behavior analysts who engage in programs designed to reduce behavioral excesses. The current workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of the assessment and treatment process, related to problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. As this process differs in some respects when compared to assessment and treatment of problem behavior maintained by socially mediated reinforcers, particular attention will be paid to additional steps taken during the functional analysis process, additional assessments that are used to inform treatment, and how the collective information obtained during the assessment process can help identify the most likely-to-be-effective intervention.

12:30 PM-3:30 PM, Meeting Room D (PPS) Workshop: Creating Sustainable Business Practices for ABA Organizations through the Analysis of Key Performance Indicators. (3.0 CEUs: BACB) CHARNA MINTZ (Caravel Autism Health).

As behavior analysts operating in a clinical world, we rely on the use of objective data to evaluate the success of our interventions and to drive our decision making. However, when it comes to the development of private practices and agencies, it is too common for leaders to bypass proper operational data collection and analysis, leaving them vulnerable to subjective or poorly formulated decisions. This workshop will present a series of metrics that can be used to objectively evaluate the operational health of your agency with the specific goal of establishing data based decision making. At the conclusion of the workshop you will be able to identify relevant metrics, methods for collecting and analyzing these data and some potential strategic solutions specific to data based decision making and contingency alignment.

12:30 PM-3:30 PM, North Ballroom Workshop: Conversations: The Only OBM Intervention You Will Ever Need. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) JOHN AUSTIN (Reaching Results).

In this interactive workshop, attendees will learn how to effectively lead and manage employees through regular conversations. In short conversations, leaders have the opportunity to develop rapport, agree on expectations, sample work, assess, and deliver feedback and reinforcement. Getting better at having effective and strategic conversations can reduce the need for add-on intervention plans. During the workshop, attendees will explore the facets of effective conversations and how they enable behavior change and employee development. Research and case study data will be shared to support each facet. Attendees should bring 2-3 examples of recent conversations with employees as well as one business result they wish to change. Attendees will leave with an action plan for having better conversations with employees and for improving their selected business result.

(SCHEDULE CONTINUED FROM P. 23)

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Workshop: Using an Evidence-Based Practice Model to Teach Behavior Analytic-Supervisees Advanced, Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills. (3.0 CEUs: BACB SUPERVISION) LAURA TURNER (University of Saint Joseph).

Board Certified Behavior Analysts supervising those pursuing certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) are required to develop and maintain competency in evidence-based supervisory skills (BACB, 2018). Supervisors are responsible for developing supervisees who are competent, flexible, and independent in their practice abilities. The purpose of this workshop is to provide considerations for teaching the skills needed to practice independently, such as advanced skills (e.g., writing clear behavior intervention plans), subjective skills (e.g., collaboration), problem solving skills (e.g., conducting risk-benefit analysis), and decision making skills (e.g., identifying the most appropriate intervention when several may be effective). Considerations include, but are not limited to, developing appropriate assignments and practice opportunities, selecting measurable learning outcomes, and individualizing feedback for advanced supervisees, etc. These skills will be discussed within a practice model (e.g., Turner, 2017) based on empirical research, the BACB Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline 2.0 (BACB, 2018), and the BACB Ethical and Professional Compliance Code (BACB, 2014). Participants will be exposed to a variety of learning modalities, including lecture, structured discussion, and group activities.


Workshop: The VB-MAPP and Generative Learning Repertoires. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) MARK SUNDBERG (Sundberg and Associates).

A typically developing child acquires several different generative repertoires that allow for the seemingly effortless acquisition of more advanced language. Children with autism often fail to acquire these specific skills. The VB-MAPP is a criterion-referenced language, learning, and social skills assessment that contains a number of milestones that can be identified as measures of generative learning. Following a brief overview of the VB-MAPP, these measures will be described, along with ways to read a child’s existing VB-MAPP in terms of generative verbal learning scores. Suggestions will be offered for how and when to establish the various missing generative repertoires identified for a child with autism.


Workshop: Ensuring Cultural Competence and Sensitivity among Behavior Analysts: Integrating Multiculturalism and Diversity into Service Provision. (3.0 CEUs: BACB ETHICS and PSYCH)

MARY JANE WEISS (Endicott College).

Behavior analysts are just beginning to operationally define cultural competence and sensitivity in service provision. It is important for behavior analysts to understand the ways in which cultural variables broadly and specifically impact the development of collaborative relationships with families. In this talk, we will review how the Professional and Ethical and Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts guides practitioners in this important realm. In addition, the skills needed for successfully navigating these challenges will be discussed. Implications for teaching, training, and supervision will be highlighted. Resources from multiple disciplines will be reviewed for content and to review how behavior analysts might identify, define, and measure the demonstration of these skills. Sample scenarios will be reviewed to highlight decision making issues and core skills needed to navigate these contexts.


Workshop: Abstraction and Articulation of the Problem Behavior Treatment Process. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) JASON BOURRET (The New England Center for Children).

In this workshop, we will cover the design and implementation of problem behavior treatment programming. Treating problem behavior entails arranging an environment that will select more appropriate response patterns. We will discuss the process by which the information needed to generate those programs can be obtained, the design of the program including fading steps, the implementation of the program across staff,

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methods for monitoring the client’s progression through treatment, and problem solving when challenges arise. The published literature contains empirical demonstrations of methods for parts of this process; this workshop focuses on combining them into a coherent treatment strategy. Attendees are encouraged to bring examples of existing programs that we will work on during the meeting.

4:00 PM-7:00 PM, Meeting Room D (PPS)

Workshop: Using the Performance Diagnostic Checklist – Human Services to Address Issues Related to Interpersonal and Communication Skills. (3.0 CEUs: BACB SUPERVISION) TYRA SELLERS (Behavior Analyst Certification Board).

Supervisors and leaders are responsible for evaluating the performance of individuals with whom they work. Despite our best efforts to provide high quality training and supervision, individuals in supervisory positions are likely to encounter some staff who exhibit persistent performance issues. Supervisors might struggle when attempting to address performance issues related to more complex skills, such as interpersonal and communication skills. This workshop focuses on applying the Performance Diagnostic Checklist – Human Services, an evidence-based functional assessment tool to identify functional barriers to desired performance and function-matched performance management interventions, to these complex performance issues. Attendees will practice using the PDC-HS with provided and self-generated scenarios.

4:00 PM-7:00 PM, North Ballroom

Workshop: Incorporating Observational Learning into Autism Treatment: From Conceptual Analysis to Applied Practice. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) BRIDGET TAYLOR (Alpine Learning Group). JAMIE DEQUINZIO (Alpine Learning Group).

It is commonly recognized that children with autism present with significant deficits in imitation and observational learning. Most contemporary curricula for children with autism incorporate instruction in a variety of imitative response topographies. Less common in applied research and practice, however, are procedures to ensure that children with autism learn to acquire novel responses through observational learning. Observational learning encompasses generalized imitation, yet exceeds it, requiring subtle discriminations about observed actions and their outcomes. To shift from learning in a one-on-one context to a group setting, for example, a child must identify contingencies as applied to another, and then incorporate into their own repertoire novel responses related to that contingency without directly contacting it themselves. While complex, observational learning is essential for the child with autism to learn more intricate social and academic repertoires. This workshop will outline empirical research in the area of observational learning and instructional programs that move beyond direct imitation to the skills essential for observational learning. Specific procedures to increase observational learning in children with autism across a variety of responses will be reviewed.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 20196:30 AM-1:00 PM, Showcase Corner Conference check-in

8:30 AM-9:00 AM, Exhibition Hall

Opening Remarks: Stacie Bancroft (BABAT President)


Invited Address: Training and Treating Wholeheartedly: Compassion Practices in the Profession of Behavior Analysis. (1.0 CEU: BACB ETHICS and PSYCH) BRIDGET TAYLOR (Alpine Learning Group).

Within certain areas of healthcare it has been documented that treating patients with compassion and empathy can have important benefits, such as increasing patient satisfaction, enhancing adherence to treatment, and improving clinical outcomes (e.g., Beach, et al., 2006; Hojat et al., 2011; Weiss et al., 2017). The field of behavior analysis has only recently begun identifying compassion practices which might have

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applications in our work. Taylor, LeBlanc and Nosik (2018) for example, proposed that clinical outcomes of clients may be enhanced by improving relationships with their caregivers. This presentation reviews survey data documenting parent perception of compassionate care by behavior analysts, as well as behavior analysts’ impressions of training in this area. Behavioral responses that may comprise compassionate care will be presented along with considerations for how compassionate care of our clients and ourselves can enhance our work as behavior analysts, and potentially improve clinical outcomes.


Invited Address: An Update on the BACB’s Activities. (1.0 CEU: BACB) JAMES CARR (BACB).

The presenter will discuss recent developments at the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). The most current data on the BACB’s certification programs will be provided: Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, and Registered Behavior Technician. In addition, a number of recent and impending developments at the BACB will be described, including revisions to certification standards, development of new resources, and outcome data and new functions from the BACB’s Ethics Department. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the state of the profession.

10:00 AM-10:50 PM, Ballroom South

Invited Address: A Comprehensive Approach to Preventing and Treating Challenging Behavior: Practical Strategies for Autism Services Providers. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) EINAR INGVARSSON (Virgina Institute of Autism).

While outcomes vary, severe problem behavior is disproportionately common in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Problem behavior can place a strain on families, limit community participation, and serve as a barrier to a happy and healthy life. Therefore, it is imperative for autism service providers to implement comprehensive proactive and reactive strategies to minimize challenging behavior. Preventative and proactive strategies include (a) curricula (e.g., “life skills”) aimed at teaching specific skills that reduce risk of problem behavior, (b) environmental arrangements, (b) healthy contingencies and general behavior management strategies, and (c) building adaptive repertoires of social and leisure skills. Reactive strategies include practical functional assessment (e.g., IISCA) and skill-based intervention. This talk will outline a comprehensive approach to prevention and intervention, as well as selected examples of research and application. Although the focus is on the ASD population, the core strategies are applicable to other populations, including typically developing children.

10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Ballroom Center

Invited Address: Compliance as a Behavioral Cusp in Young Children with Autism. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) DAVID WILDER (Florida Institute of Technology).

Compliance with a variety of instructions is a crucial skill for young children to learn. Compliance is necessary to progress both academically and socially (Wehby & Lane, 2009) and is negatively correlated with problem behavior such as aggression, property destruction, and self-injury (Russo, Cataldo, & Cushing, 1981). In fact, compliance is arguably one of the most important behavioral cusps (Bosch & Fuqua, 2001; Rosales-Ruiz & Baer, 1997) in early development, as it opens the door to learning a variety of other skills. This presentation will focus on compliance as a behavioral cusp, and will provide an overview of methods to increase compliance among young children. Data from the author’s recent research on compliance will be highlighted. This research includes work on common antecedent manipulations to increase compliance, as well as more complex procedures such as guided compliance and the high-probability instructional sequence.

10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Ballroom North

Invited Address: A Simple OBM Approach to Addressing People Challenges in Your Organization. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH)JOHN AUSTIN (Reaching Results).

Management consultants are known for developing new techniques and many of these techniques are beyond the grasp of most people in the working world. Oftentimes these techniques require a massive

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amount of behavior change in order to use them in the first place. “Don’t fear conflict”; “Hold people accountable”; “Deliver honest feedback”; “Create a safe space” and other such lofty advice often sound very good in the moment from an intellectual perspective but for someone who is struggling with an actual problem, the techniques often don’t get enacted because the advice is too vague, because there are barriers to following it, and even if the actions needed were very clear, it would require monumental behavior change on behalf of the leader. An evidence-based approach would suggest that we deliver clear expectations, engage in shaping steps from the current baseline, measure, and reinforce improvement. Furthermore, when it comes to leadership and management at work, “simpler” is better, and starting with basics or fundamentals usually produces larger and quicker behavior change. This presentation will describe such an approach, using a case example in manufacturing and extending the practice into human services applications.

10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Junior Ballroom

Symposium: An Evaluation of Training Behavior Analytic Skills for Practitioners and Parents and Professionalism for Undergraduates. (1.5 CEUs: BACB)Chair: TANYA MOUZAKES (Crossroads School, Western New England University)

Discussant: ALICE SHILLINGSBURG (The May Institute)

E-mail Professionalism for Undergraduates. THOMAS G. FARNSWORTH (Western New England University); Rachel H. Thompson (Western New England University); Sabrina Minic (Western New England University); Joseph Van Allen (Western New England University); Tylynn Kuralt (Western New England University).

An Evaluation of a Home-Based, Parent Training Program Addressing Emergent Problem Behavior.KELSEY W. RUPPEL (FTF Behavioral Consulting, Western New England University); Gregory P. Hanley (FTF Behavioral Consulting); Robin K. Landa (The May Institute, Western New England University); Adithyan Rajaraman (Western New England University).

Evaluating the Short and Long-term Effects of Training Practitioners to Conduct the IISCA: An RCT. CORY J. WHELAN (The Autism Community Therapists, Western New England University); Gregory P. Hanley (FTF Behavioral Consulting); Robin K. Landa (The May Institute, Western New England University); Emily Sullivan (The May Institute, Western New England University); Rachel Metras (Western New England University); Kara Lacroix (The Autism Community Therapists, Western New England University).

10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Meeting Room A

Panel: An Overview for Advanced Practitioners on Consultative Processes: Building Systems with a Sustainable Future. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: AMANDA LAPRIME (The Center for Children with Special Needs)

Panelists: MARY JANE WEISS (Endicott College and Melmark); COURTNEY COTTER (The Center for Children with Special Needs); HEATHER FLYNN (The Center for Children with Special Needs).

The development of effective programs for complex learners in educational settings is of paramount importance. Maintaining learners in their community schools supports the mission of increasing opportunities for individuals and their families to participate as members of their public-school community. This has far reaching benefits both for the families of individuals with exceptional learning needs, as well as the individuals who then have the opportunity to learn in conjunction with students with exceptionalities. There are a number of elements that are necessary for these programs to meet the needs of the multiple stakeholders involved. In order to achieve these goals, thoughtfully planned, evidenced-based approaches to system level consultation are imperative in public schools. The panelists will each address a specific area of system level program development in educational settings (e.g., program evaluation, the framework of educational environments, motivating systems to change, and collaboration with public school team members in a compassionate way), as well as address barriers to achieving progress across each of these areas. At the end, specific recommendations for increasing ones’ capacity to provide behavioral consultation in this manner will be discussed.

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10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Meeting Room B

Symposium: Self-Management, Environmental Cuing, and Performance Management Approaches to Care Provider Training. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: JAMES K. LUISELLI (Melmark New England)

Application of a Self-Management Intervention to Improve Data Recording of Educational Care Providers. KAITLIN MACKEY (Melmark New England); Deanna Gerald (Melmark New England); Laura Keeler (Melmark New England); Rebecca Merrill (Melmark New England); James Luiselli (Melmark New England).

Effects of Environmental Cuing and Performance Monitoring on Activity Completion-Data Recording of Educational Care Providers. EMILY GRASSO (Melmark New England); Priyanka Mishra (Melmark New England); Joyce Essien (Melmark New England); James Luiselli (Melmark New England).

Training Care Providers to Safely Store Hazardous Materials Through Environmental Cuing and Performance Feedback. JULIAN GIANOTTI (Melmark New England); Tyler Kahl (Melmark New England); Jill Harper (Melmark New England).

10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Meeting Room C Invited Address: Utility of Translational Research for Informing Practice. (1.0 CEU: BACB) MICHAEL KELLEY (Scott Center for Autism Treatment at Florida Institute of Technology).

Translational Research is sometimes defined as collaborative lines of basic and applied research or innovation as a function of the synthesis of basic and applied research. The goals of translational research might include “proof of concept” generality of basic principles (e.g., application of basic principles in the form of non-human animal to human generality), conducting laboratory studies in pursuit of new applied interventions, or improving existing methodologies. In this presentation, I will review some of the recent discussions on translational research, basic research that seems ready-made for translation, and applied problems that are currently being solved due to the recent trends towards integration of basic and applied research.

10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Hilton Perennials A

Tutorial: Towards a Technology to teach social behavior. (1.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) MARIELA VARGAS-IRWIN (Applied Behavioral Learning Services); ANN FILER (Applied Behavioral Learning Services); TIMOTHY PISKURA (Applied Behavioral Learning Services).

Social skills are the behaviors we use to communicate and interact with each other, both verbally and non-verbally, through gestures, body language and our personal appearance. Given the importance of social skills deficits in the presentation of individuals with Autism, the fields of psychology, speech and language therapy, and applied behavior analysis have developed numerous programs or curricula to teach social behavior. In this presentation, social skills will be classified into Foundational Social Behavior and Complex Social Behavior and defined in operational terms. Research in technological interventions such as discrete trials, video modeling, and teaching interactions, will be described. Systems for data collection in group settings will be discussed along with case studies of social skills interventions and data collected on “Adherence to a Group Plan,” a complex social behavior. Lastly, objectives to be used in treatment plans and Individualized Education Programs will be developed.

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10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Meeting Room E

Symposium: Treating Dangerous Problem Behavior without Physical Management: Extensions of the Enhanced Choice Model. (1.5 CEUs: BACB)Chair: HOLLY GOVER (Western New England University)

Procedures, Outcomes, and Implications of the Enhanced-Choice Model of Skill-Based Treatment within a Public-School Setting. MARNEY POLLACK (Vanderbilt University); Johanna Staubitz (Vanderbilt University); John Staubitz (Vanderbilt University Medical Center); Michelle Hopton (Vanderbilt University Medical Center); Rachel Haws (Vanderbilt University).

Distance-Based Collaborations for Assessing and Treating Problem Behavior. RACHEL METRAS (Western New England University); Gregory Hanley (Western New England University).

Small-Group Implementation of Functional Analyses and Skill-Based Treatment. ROBIN LANDA (The May Institute); Amy Rosenblum (The May Institute).

On the Generality of the Preference for Contingent Reinforcement. HOLLY GOVER (Western New England University); Gregory Hanley (Western New England University).

10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Meeting Room D (PPS)

Workshop: Updates on Licensure and Legislation for Applied Behavior Analysts. (1.5 CEUs: BACB ETHICS) WILLIAM H AHEARN (The New England Center for Children).

This workshop will describe the status of licensure and oversight of applied behavior analysts in MA. Currently, applied behavior analysts are licensed and overseen by the Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions Board of Registry. Licensure application processing has been a stated concern by many behavior analytic service providers. Application are currently being processed in approximately one month for qualified applicants who submit a complete application. The process from submission of the application to approval or rejection will be reviewed. Licensed Applied Behavior Analysts (LABAs) are also subject to oversight. This workshop will also review the disciplinary process from the submission of a complaint against a licensee to a board decision on a complaint. Ethical considerations relative to the behavior of LABAs will be discussed. Finally, legislation that may affect the practice of applied behavior analysis will be discussed. Currently there are at least 5 bills in the MA state legislature that LABAs should be aware of and these will be discussed as well as their current status. One piece of federal legislation, the “Keep All Students Safe Act” could also have a significant impact on the practice of behavior analysis and will be reviewed.

10:00 AM-12:50 AM, Hilton Perennials B

Workshop: Outside the Box and Across the Spectrum: Strategies for Obtaining Employment for Individuals with ASD. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) JULIE WEISS (The New England Center for Children), Julie LeBlanc (The New England Center for Children), Christine Pellerin (The New England Center for Children).

Inclusion in the workplace continues to be an important topic for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, caregivers, and employers. Individuals with severe deficits and needs may have difficulty obtaining or maintaining employment due to a limited repertoire of vocational skills and interfering behaviors. Presenters will discuss successful outcomes and creative strategies used when developing new job placements, representing job-seeker’s abilities, and how to assess skills and preferences to ensure an appropriate job match. Job-seeker profiles will be discussed, including the steps that were taken to obtain employment for the specific individual. Samples of interview presentations and resumes that have been used in obtaining employment will be shown. Many employers have limited experience working with a diverse population or understand accommodations that can be made to include individuals across the spectrum in their workplace. Examples of how to communicate with employers about an individual and needed supports will be given. On-going assessment is critical to maintaining employment. Presenters will discuss how to build an individual’s repertoire of vocational skills to increase job responsibilities, duration of work, and independence in the workplace.

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11:00 AM–11:50 AM, Exhibition Hall

Invited Address: Disruptions in FCT: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (1.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) JOEL RINGDAHL (University of Georgia).

Functional communication training (FCT) is a long-standing and effective approach for treating problem behavior exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. In the last decade, researchers have shifted their focus from demonstrating the efficacy and effectiveness of FCT to evaluating what happens when FCT encounters disruptions, such as exposures to extinction and concurrent schedules of reinforcement. The current presentation describes some of the results of a long-standing research project. This project has identified three outcomes of disruption to FCT, including: initial increases in response rate and variability of appropriate behavior (targeted and nontargeted), reductions in previously reinforced alternative behavior, and resurgence of previously reinforced problem behavior. In addition, the current presentation focuses on how the negative outcomes (reductions of alternative behavior and resurgence of problem behavior) can be mitigated, and the positive outcome (increased appropriate response rate and variability) capitalized on. Findings from the research project will be discussed relative to their conceptual and practical implications.

11:00 AM–11:50 AM, Ballroom South

Invited Address: What Behavior Analysis has to say about Discrimination and Prejudice: Social and Ethical Implications. (1.0 CEUs: BACB ETHICS) A. CHARLES CATANIA (Professor Emeritus, UMBC).

Behavior analysis cannot solve the pervasive problem of discrimination and prejudice within and across communities, but it can clarify how they arise and can point to hopeful directions for change. Discrimination, in both its technical and its social senses, is based on actual contact with contingencies of stimulus-control. It differs fundamentally from prejudice, which is based primarily on verbal histories and verbal governance. Discrimination and prejudice in human social environments can be interpreted in terms of basic behavioral processes, including but not limited to conditional discrimination, attention, equivalence classes, and the distinction between contingency-shaped and verbally governed behavior. One common feature of many social instances of discrimination and prejudice, with regard to race, gender, ethnicity and other human dimensions, is the reduction of continua to discrete classes. A behavior analytic approach to these issues has ethical implications and supports a crucial role for diversity within human cultures.


Invited Address: Thinking Outside the Skinner Box. (1.0 CEUs: BACB)

NANCY NEEF (The Ohio State University).

I will present examples of highly successful efforts to effect behavior change that are notable because of the size or nature of their impact. It is perhaps notable also that members of the behavior analytic community did not design them. Although we have much to contribute to teaching others about behavior analysis, these examples illustrate what we might also gain by partnering with others who are outside the Skinner box.

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11:00 AM-11:50 AM, Ballroom North

Invited Address: The Importance of Derived Relational Responding for Persons with Autism. (1.0 CEUs: BACB) MARK DIXON (Southern Illinois University).

For over 30 years and 100s of empirical studies have shown that directly training verbal behavior to persons with disabilities has been successful. However, within that same time period, another language training approach began to emerge which relied on procedural modifications allowing for deriving language skills instead of directly teaching them. This latter approach has recently yielded impressive data that suggests more efficiency and generality of ABA language training techniques than what is commonly implemented by clinicians working with children with autism. Mark Dixon will showcase a variety of empirical demonstrations that reveal what sorts of differences in verbal repertoires might occur if clinicians adopt a teaching approach rooted in Relational Frame Theory and derived relational responding in addition to or in place of traditional verbal operant training.

11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room A

Symposium: Autism Knows No Borders: The Why and How of World-wide Dissemination of ABA (1.5 CEUs: BACB ETHICS)Chair: KIMBERLY MADAR (Easterseals of Massachusetts, New England ABA, The Global Autism Project)

Discussant: CASSONDRA GAYMAN (TTi Health Research and Economics)

The Need for Sustainable Worldwide Dissemination of ABA. SAMANTHA FOWLER (Futures Behavior Therapy Center).

The Ethical Challenges of Worldwide Dissemination of ABA. CHERELLE WILLIAMS (RCG Behavioral Health Network).

A Model for Sustainable ABA Training Where It is Needed Most. KRYSTINA GIHULY (Creative Interventions).

11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room B

Symposium: Evaluating Health-Wellness Interventions Among Individuals with Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: JAMES LUISELLI (Melmark New England)

Reducing Weight-BMI of Students with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Through a Residential Health and Wellness Intervention. KIMBERLY DUHANYAN (Melmark New England); Andrew Shlesinger (Melmark New England); Frank Bird (Melmark New England); Jill Harper (Melmark New England); James Luiselli (Melmark New England).

Assessing Implementation Integrity and Social Validity of Automated Sleep Monitoring Among Residential Care Providers. ANDREW SHLESINGER (Melmark New England); Kimberly Duhanyan (Melmark New England); Frank Bird (Melmark New England); Jill Harper (Melmark New England); James Luiselli (Melmark New England).

Re-establishing Food Consumption Following Brain Injury with Extended Food Refusal Using a Multi-Component Behavioral Intervention. Joseph Ricciardi (Seven Hills Foundation); James Luiselli (Melmark New England); Jodi Tretheway (Seven Hills Foundation).

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11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room C

Tutorial: BCBAs as Change Agents in Addressing Chronic Absenteeism and School Refusal Behavior. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)ERIN DUNN (EASTCONN Regional Education Service Center); RAVIT STEIN (EASTCONN Regional Education Service Center).

Child-motivated refusal to attend school or difficulty remaining in classes affects between 5-28% of students, and has a significant correlation with a variety of negative outcomes including incarceration, drop out, poverty, and reduced social functioning, among other issues (Kearney, 2002). Behavior analysts, who are experts in both utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis to change behavior and using data to guide decision making, are in a unique position to promote improved outcomes for the more than 1 in 10 students in the United States (Chang, Bauer, & Byrnes, 2018) who are chronically absent. The purpose of this session is to familiarize behavior analysts with tools to proactively address a significant issue affecting our nation’s public schools. In this session, participants will learn about the risk and protective factors associated with school refusal behavior and gain skills in identifying patterns and trends in attendance data to guide function-based interventions. Armed with this data, attendees will gain fluency in assessment of function of school refusal behavior (using specific tools and strategies) and implementation of targeted function-based interventions for students who are at-risk, to improve student outcomes.

11:30 AM-12:30 PM, Meeting Room D (PPS)

Invited Address: When Bad Things Happen to Good Providers. (1.0 CEUs: BACB ETHICS)AMY WEINSTOCK (UMass Medical School/Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center); Nan Leonard (Nashoba Learning Group).

Insurance coverage for ABA therapy has dramatically expanded access to therapy over the last decade. It has also required behavior analysts who work with public and private insurers to adapt their practices, and acquire many new skills. This presentation will discuss potential issues and problems that can affect Behavior Analysts, drawing from the presenters’ experiences and observations.

11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room E

Symposium: Evaluating Consequences and Their Effects During Instruction with Individuals with Special Needs. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: CAMMARIE JOHNSON (New England Center for Children and Western New England University)

Examining the Effects of Behavioral Skills Training on Social Praise Delivery in Four Malaysian Classes. IRENE LOOI (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Cammarie Johnson (New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

Evaluating a Pictorially-Based Paired-Stimulus Preference Assessment for Identifying Social Reinforcers for Skill Acquisition. ALISON SCHAEFER (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Eileen Roscoe (New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

Brief and Continuous Conditioned Reinforcers: A Comparative Analysis. JOSHUA JACKSON (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); MaKenzie Hough (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Sarah Malagodi (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Jason Bourret (New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

Evaluating the Effects of Outcome-Specific Consequences in Teaching Categories to Individuals with Autism. DANIELA P. SILVA (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Cammarie Johnson (New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

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11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Hilton Perennials A Symposium: A Technology of Teaching: Behavior Analytic Applications in the Online Classroom. (1.5 CEUs: BACB)Chair: THOMAS ZANE (University of Kansas)

You’re Not Skyping Your Uncle Buck on Saturday Night. Thomas Zane (University of Kansas); Mary Jane Weiss (Endicott College); SAMANTHA VOLPE (Elwyn, Endicott College).

An Evaluation of Supplemental Assignment Techniques for Online Courses. LAUREN LANIER (CARE LLC, Endicott College); Jennifer Hilton (Endicott College); Mary Jane Weiss (Endicott College).

Effects of Measured Practice and Fluency-Based Instruction on the Acquisition and Maintenance of Vocabulary Terms. JENNIFER HILTON (Endicott College); Thomas Zane (University of Kansas); Lauren Lanier (CARE LLC, Endicott College); Mary Jane Weiss (Endicott College).

12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Exhibition Hall

Invited Address & Sidman Award Presentation: Explicating Skinner: A Personal Odyssey. (1.0 CEUs: BACB) DAVID PALMER (Smith College).I have devoted my 50 post-baccalaureate years to tweaking Skinner’s interpretations of human behavior, testing for weak spots, filling in cracks, rounding off rough edges, and clarifying obscure bits. In this presentation, I allude to some of the heterogeneous topics that have emerged in this enterprise: memory, selectionist units of analysis, automatic reinforcement, grammar, joint control, the additivity of stimulus control, multiple control, response competition, and atomic repertoires. Occasionally I have been misled into believing that I had said something new, but a rereading of Skinner invariably disabused me of that illusion. Nevertheless I will briefly discuss two topics where I think Skinner’s texts are not sufficiently developed: Recall and the role of atomic repertoires. Recall is commonly thought of as a topic in memory, but its proper domain is problem solving. Atomic repertoires lie at the heart of our explanations of one-trial learning and observational learning. Skinner’s treatment of these topics was characteristically accurate, but it was scattered diffusely throughout his papers and books and is easily overlooked.


Symposium: Analyses and Tips for Consulting: How to be Ethical and Likeable. (1.5 CEUs: BACB ETHICS)Chair: JUDAH B. AXE (Simmons University)

Discussant: Dennis H. Reid (Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center)

Scope of Competence in Behavior Analytic Consultation: Ethical Considerations. SARAH E. FRAMPTON (Simmons University, May Institute); Judah B. Axe (Simmons University).

How to Win Friends and Influence…Consultees: A Behavior Analytic Conceptualization of Dale Carnegie’s Work. RENEE HARTZ (Simmons University, Melmark New England); Judah B. Axe (Simmons University).

A Conceptual Analysis of Rapport in the Consultative Relationship. KENDRA E. GUINNESS (Simmons University, TACT); Judah B. Axe (Simmons University).

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Symposium: Preference Assessment Modifications for Increasing Leisure Item Engagement in Individuals with Autism. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: Eileen M. Roscoe (New England Center for Children and Western New England University)

Discussant: Joel Ringdahl (University of Georgia)

Relative Predictive Validity of Preference Assessment Types for Leisure Engagement. PAIGE R. MARQUIS (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Stacie L. Bancroft (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Taylor E. Collins (New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

Increasing Leisure Item Engagement in Individuals with Restricted Interests. VALERIE A. HALL (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Eileen M. Roscoe (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Abigail E. McVarish (New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

Examining Procedural Variations of Delivering Competing Stimuli in the Treatment of Stereotypy. JULIA L. TOUHEY (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Catlyn A. LiVolsi (New England Center for Children and Western New England University); Willam H. Ahearn (New England Center for Children and Western New England University).


Panel Discussion: Going Home Again: A Discussion on Discharging Individuals with Complex Needs Back to Their Homes from Higher Levels of Care. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: AMANDA LAPRIME (Center for Children with Special Needs)

Panelists: MARK PALMIERI (Center for Children with Special Needs); NICOLE HAUSMAN (Kennedy Krieger); SILVA ORCHANIAN (Melmark New England).

For some individuals with autism spectrum disorders, severe behavior at home and in the community results in lengthy inpatient or residential placements. While these settings have well established systems and procedures for decreasing challenging behavior transitioning a child back home to their family is often a lengthy process that involves a number of barriers. Preventing recidivism back to higher levels of care requires a comprehensive approach to care coordination, teaming, family training, and establishing a network of trained providers in the community. Each of the panelists will discuss barriers to discharge, and potential solutions which drive clinical treatment while the patient resides in their setting. In addition, panelists will address behavior stabilization methods, discharge planning, care coordination, and training initiatives which comprise the work they do. Recommendation for clinicians who do this work, as well as the teams that receive these individuals upon discharge will be made throughout the course of the discussion.


Workshop: Providing Effective Training and Oversight: A review of Evidence Based Supervision Practices. (1.5 CEUs: BACB SUPERVISION)CHRISTINA KING (RCS Learning Center); TIFFANY REMY (RCS Behavioral & Educational Consulting); MEGAN BREAULT (RCS Learning Center); COLLEEN YORLETS (RCS Behavioral & Educational Consulting).

The majority of BCBAs provide consultative, rather than direct behavior analytic services. As a result, the person developing intervention procedures must transfer this technology to others who are implementing the protocol, often requiring these individuals to acquire new instructional skills. Effective training of Behavior Technicians is critical and an ethical responsibility. Despite evidence based training protocols being documented in the literature, application of these procedures is often lacking, with BCBAs often resorting to verbal trainings. Once a Behavior Technician meets training competency or is determined to be trained to implement a protocol, there is the challenge of assessing and maintaining the integrity of the application of the intervention. BCBAs are then challenged with assessing procedural drift and remedying. Behavior Analysts may find themselves in a cycle of training, observing, assessing integrity, and re-training the same skills to Behavior Technicians, taking valuable time from client progress. This workshop will provide a review of recent literature in the areas of evidence based training, the characteristics, types, and effect of performance feedback, as well as, the challenges to maintaining procedural integrity and strategies for overcoming such barriers.

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1:00 PM-3:50 PM, Hilton Perennials B

Workshop: Trauma Informed ABA. (3.0 CEUs: BACB)SAUNDRA BISHOP (BASICS ABA Therapy, LLC).

Applied Behavior Analysis is an effective science to target behaviors in many populations. However, as a field, ABA does not meet the clinical needs of the children we support that also have a history of “trauma events”. Because ABA does not target thoughts or emotions, best practices around Trauma Informed Care have been difficult for our field to adopt. However, by looking at trauma events as a setting event, we can create interventions that are Trauma Informed and can better support our clients who may be in foster care, in family preservation programs, and who have experienced other trauma events. In this advanced workshop, we will learn to recognize what a trauma event is, how trauma events can function as a setting event, and what interventions can be put in place to address these events.

1:00 PM-3:50 PM, Hilton Perennials A

Workshop: Clinical Understanding, Assessment, and Behavioral Intervention for Neurobehavioral Challenges Following Brain Injury. (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) JOSEPH RICCIARDI (Seven Hills NeuroCare).

Neurobehavioral challenges are one of the late-emerging complications of an acquired brain injury (ABI) that impede rehabilitation and are a source of stress for survivors and their families. Additionally, challenging behaviors place limits on community integration, increase the risk for care in restrictive settings, and directly interfere with quality of life. Behavior analysis has much to contribute toward alleviating these problems by developing effective treatment and support of individuals with an ABI. This workshop will provide an introduction to functional neuroanatomy, brain-behavior relationships, the basics of ABI (including TBI) for behavior analysts, and a review of research on the prevalence and forms of challenging behaviors observed in people with ABI, and the behavioral interventions that are most effective. Participants will learn how behavioral and neuropsychological data are integrated into a neurobehavioral formulation and functional behavior assessment. Participants will learn principles of multicomponent intervention design, identifying individualized rehabilitation goals, and the role of behavior analysts in rehabilitation. Examples of comprehensive behavior support plans, goals selection, skills development, and outcomes monitoring with this population will be reviewed as well.


Invited Address: Next Year is Now. (1.0 CEUs: BACB)WILLIAM HEWARD (Ohio State University).

Educating children with disabilities is a team game. The goals: improved quality of life now and maximum independence in the future. The clock is running and all involved—teachers, family members, and especially the child—have limited resources to contribute. The most pragmatic and ethical way forward requires targeting only learning outcomes most likely to yield optimal benefit to the child. This presentation will explore the meaning of meaningful behavior change and suggest actions behavior analysts, educators, and parents can take to ensure that their hard work translates into higher quality of life for the children they serve.

2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Ballroom South

Invited Address: Establishing Generative Verbal Learning for Children with Autism. (1.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) MARK SUNDBERG (Sundberg and Associates).

Typically developing children demonstrate an explosion of language skills between the ages of 2 and 3 (Hart & Risley, 1995). A child acquires new speaker and listener skills daily, often without direct training or reinforcement. However, many children with autism struggle with, or fail to make this critical linguistic leap. This learning barrier could be related to a child’s inability to benefit from generative verbal learning. Generative verbal learning occurs when existing verbal skills enable or accelerate the acquisition of other verbal skills, without direct teaching or reinforcement (Rosales-Ruiz & Baer, 1997). An account of generative learning based on Skinner’s (1957) analysis of verbal behavior will be described (e.g., Horne & Lowe, 1996; Greer & Ross, 2008; Jennings & Miguel, 2017; Staats, 1996). Children with autism may fail to benefit from the powerful effects of generative learning because, in part, they may lack the necessary prerequisites or component repertoires. Suggestions will be offered for how and when to establish missing generative repertoires for a child with autism.

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2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Ballroom Center

Invited Address: Teaching Compassionate Care Skills to Behavior Analysts: Identifying Essential Skills and Ensuring Significant Outcomes. (1.0 CEUs: BACB)

MARY-JANE WEISS (Endicott College).

Compassion and empathic care are commonly noted values in human service provision. The extent to which a care provider is seen as compassionate impacts the interpersonal relationship with the provider, the adherence of the client, and the long-term outcomes of intervention. In medicine and nursing, these skills have been emphasized and taught. Social work, psychology, and other fields have also emphasized the need for such skills among providers. In behavior analysis, recent surveys have noted weaknesses and inconsistencies in the extent to which parents of children with autism feel supported by interventionists. Areas for improvement include dialoging when there is disagreement, inquiring about the whole family, and demonstrating patience. Several models for developing skills in compassionate care will be reviewed, along with rubrics to assess the extent to which they are demonstrated. In addition, attention will be paid to ways in which such training can be embedded in coursework, supervision, and training.

2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Ballroom North

Invited Address: Teaching and Disseminating Behavior Analysis: Here, There, and Everywhere. (1.0 CEUs: BACB) TRACI CIHON (University of North Texas).

Starting with Skinner’s (1968) Technology of Teaching and Keller’s (1968) Personalized System of Instruction, behavior analysis has a long history in education. Whether you are working in Early Intensive Behavior Intervention, problem behavior reduction, organizational settings, or universities, you have probably encountered situations in which you have needed to establish new repertoires; strengthen, maintain, or generalize current repertoires; or promote the recombination of existing repertoires. Applications of behavior analysis to education are also opportunities to disseminate behavior analysis. Our instruction, grounded in the concepts and principles of behavior analysis, provides the opportunity to teach others about behavior analysis. We help teachers to develop effective instructional strategies. We help families to access more shared reinforcers. We help supervisors to manage more effectively. And, we build environments to support cooperation within and across systems, cultures, and communities. The purpose of this presentation is to describe four efforts to disseminate behavior analysis while teaching behavior analysis in diverse educational settings – a public school special education program, undergraduate introduction to behavior analysis courses at a state university, a collaboration with a social cooperative (non-profit) and public university in Italy, and a consumer science class at a local public high school.

2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Junior Ballroom

Invited Address: Translational Evaluations of Factors Impacting Recurrence of Behavior: Renewal and Reinstatement. (1.0 CEU: BACB) TERRY FALCOMATA (University of Texas, Austin).

Reinstatement is a type of relapse that involves the recurrence of responding during response-independent delivery of reinforcing stimuli following extinction. It has been suggested that one source of the production of reinstatement is the discriminative stimulus properties of reinforcement stimuli. In this presentation, I will describe a series of translational and applied studies that focus on relapse in the form of reinstatement across several experimental arrangements. The series of studies to be presented include a focus on (a) non-clinical responses with non-clinical populations that serve as analogues to clinical situations in which there may be a risk of reinstatement of problem behavior and (b) reinstatement of problem behavior exhibited by individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. These results of this series of studies provide further evidence that (a) reinstatement is a mechanism that may represent a challenge to treatment and play a role in clinical relapse of problem behavior and (b) factors other than the discriminative properties of reinforcement stimuli may contribute to reinstatement of responding. Results will be discussed both in terms of potential clinical implications as well as possible future directions in translational and applied research contexts.

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Invited Panel Discussion: Making the Leap From Graduate School to Clinical Practice. JACQUELYN MACDONALD (Regis College); KEVIN SCHLICHENMEYER (The Autism Community Therapists); GREGORY HANLEY (FTF Behavioral Consulting); TYRA SELLERS (Behavior Analysts Certification Board); JAMIE DEQUINZIO (Alpine Learning Group).

A prominent focus of a rigorous ABA graduate program is to establish a broad array of behavior analytic skills such that graduate students are prepared not only for the minimal standards of the field but also to be effective practitioners. This is established through structured assignments and practicum experiences. One defining feature of a graduate school education is providing a lot of structure and support for students while they master material (i.e., syllabus and structured assignments), however, there are multiple facets of the clinical practice that are not touched upon in the educational setting. Such areas may include basic business management, billing, dealing with difficult parents, supporting colleagues, and interacting with non-behavior analytic colleagues. This round table discussion will identify gaps between course content and launching into your career. Round table presenters will provide perspective on how graduate schools and practicum placements may better prepare students to make this leap.


Invited Address: Early Identification and Treatment of Autism Symptomatology in Infant Siblings. (1.0 CEUs: BACB) REBECCA MACDONALD (The New England Center for Children).

Infant siblings of children diagnosed with ASD have a 19% recurrence risk at 3 years old (Ozonoff et al., 2011). The point at which symptoms emerge is documented in the literature as occurring within 6-12 months. Graupner and Sallows (2017), in a sample of 67 infant siblings, reported symptoms in children under 3 months old. Using weekly developmental assessments and an ABA early intervention, they were able to remediate symptoms in 13 of 14 symptomatic siblings. The purpose of this presentation is to describe our current work toward replicating these findings. We hypothesize that if treatment begins at or before 6 months, with a high intensity, outcomes will be better. Currently 27 siblings under 6 months of age have been recruited and are receiving bi-weekly screenings focusing on identifying symptoms. Five of those babies have shown some symptoms and ABA therapy and/or parent coaching is being provided. All babies receive standardized assessment at 3-month intervals. Data to date reveal that earlier age and greater intensity of treatment results in best outcomes. These findings have implication for service delivery and long term financial obligations.


Invited Address: School-Based Interventions for Children with Autism: Progressing from Single Case Research to Randomized Controlled Trials. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH)

CYNTHIA ANDERSON (May Institute).

Behavior analytic interventions addressing the core and associated features of ASD are well supported by empirical literature. Generally speaking, interventions can be categorized as focused or comprehensive. Focused interventions, which comprise the bulk of behavior analytic research using single-case designs and address a small range of targets using very specific procedures. In contrast, comprehensive interventions (such as EIBI) address most or all features of ASD and use many different procedures. Comprehensive interventions tend to be evaluated using RCTs. While the empirical literature supporting behavior analytic interventions for children with ASD is impressive, the bulk of this research has been conducted in clinical settings and there are no comprehensive interventions with documented efficacy in school settings. This is unfortunate as research consistently shows that evidence-based interventions for students with ASD are used only rarely in school settings. In this presentation, barriers to implementation of evidence-based practice will be discussed, as will strategies for addressing barriers. I will argue that effective and sustainable interventions for educators will be developed only through a comprehensive research agenda focusing on both effectiveness and feasibility and that this will require a combination of qualitative, single-case, and group design methodologies.

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Invited Address: Reinforced Variability: Research, Theories, and Applications. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) ALLEN NEURINGER (Reed College).

This talk will discuss reinforced variability and its relationship to the class nature of operant behavior. I will consider recent research on reinforced variability; theoretical debates concerning reinforced variability; application of reinforced variability to behavioral training and behavioral therapies; and the relationship of reinforced variability to other areas of psychology and biology.


Invited Address: From Research to Practice or Practice to Research? (1.0 CEUs: BACB) MICHELE WALLACE (California State University, Los Angeles).

One of the tenants of Applied Behavior Analysis is that our practice should be conceptually systematic and evidence-based (Baer, Wolf, & Risely, 1968; BACB, 2018). Therefore, most behavior analysts base their practice off of published research (or at least we think they should and hope they do). But given the sterilized nature of the environment in which most research in ABA is occurring (e.g., university based research labs or inpatient clinics), should this research be influencing practice or should our practice be influencing our research? This presentation will discuss some of the issues related to the current state of research in ABA and its influence on practice (or lack thereof) as well as discuss how the everyday practice of ABA can and should be influencing research. Examples of incongruencies between research and practice as well as practice based needs assessments with respect to functional behavioral assessment and the use of extinction as treatment for problem behavior will be presented. Moreover, future research to address this dilemma (research to practice or practice to research) will be presented.


Tutorial: To Treat or Not to Treat: Stereotypy is Not Self-Injury. (1.0 CEUs: BACB ETHICS and PSYCH) WILLIAM H AHEARN (The New England Center for Children).

This tutorial will examine questions of how, when, and whether stereotypic behavior should be treated. It is well established that automatically reinforced problem behavior like stereotypy and self-injury can be difficult to treat. Self-injury is problem behavior that poses the risk of significant and, in some cases, life threatening harm. However, stereotypy rarely leads to injury, and if it is a preferred activity there should be times in which it is available. Ethical considerations for clinicians will be discussed and the risks and benefits of both treating and not treating stereotypy will be explored. Some applied research on evaluating and treating stereotypic behavior will also be reviewed, with a focus on effective interventions for building core adaptive living and social skills.


Tutorial: Using Web-Based Learning Tools to Develop and Implement Simple Emergent Responding Training Systems. (1.0 CEUs: BACB)BRYAN BLAIR (Long Island University-Brooklyn).

Emergent responding training protocols have been demonstrated to be an effective instructional tool for teaching a variety of skills to typically developing learners (e.g., college students). However, teaching protocols based on emergent responding have yet to be widely adopted by BCBAs, teachers, and/or trainers and are often not used in college classrooms of training settings. Proponents of the use of emergent responding training protocols have asserted that this failure might be because these protocols require substantial resources to develop and there are no known manuals or guidelines to assist BCBAs with the development and implementation of training systems. As such, the purpose of this tutorial is to teach attendees how to develop training systems using low-cost and easily accessible computer-based learning tools and web applications. This tutorial will briefly review recent publications, theoretical and conceptual interpretations of emergent responding, advantages of emergent responding training, and practical applications of simple and easy-to-create training systems. A web-based training “application” will be demonstrated, and participants will be provided with simple digital resources necessary to create their own training applications. *Note: this tutorial includes updated information from previous presentations.*

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Tutorial: Now or Never: Creating sustainable practices through ABA. (1.0 CEUs: BACB)Chair: MEGHAN MARTINEAU (New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability and Newton Public Schools)

Discussant: WANETA TRABERT (City of Newton Sustainable Materials Management)

Climate change is one of the most problematic behavioral challenges facing our world today. Recent analysis indicates that we have 15 years to change our behavioral pattern with respect to green house gas emissions before we reach a 1.5-centigrade change in the average Earth’s temperature (Usher, 2017). Significant changes to multiple topographies of human behavior must occur to reduce the emission of green house gases. Treating behavior that is socially important is an essential criterion of applied behavior analysis (Baer, Wolf and Risley 1968), which makes it a perfect match for the field of climate change work. This talk will review previous research within behavior analysis on promoting sustainable behavior, review a case study completed at a local public school, and describe steps for how any behavior analyst can address this issue.


Tutorial: The Development of an Alternative PBS Model for Individuals with Severe and Profound Intellectual Disability. (1.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)KRISTAL MARSHALL-SHORE (Crystal Springs, Inc.).

Developing a Positive Behavior Supports model for an entire agency can be a daunting task. Positive Behavior Supports development for students and adults functioning in the moderate to mild ranges of Intellectual Disability include matrixes of expectations to guide positive behavior. When developing these models for individuals with severe to profound Intellectual Disabilities this approach did not seem feasible. As a result, an alternative approach was taken to use a “behavior plan” format instead of the matrixes of expectations. This allowed for some flexibility in terms of providing more individualized procedures within the universal supports. It also provided for the ability to use least restrictive procedures. The approach permitted for expanding the inclusion of the principles of applied behavior analysis. This presentation discusses the challenges and successes that a small agency serving children and adults with severe to profound Intellectual Disabilities faced while developing an alternative Positive Behavior Supports model.


Paper Session: Behavior Analysis in Application (1.0 CEUs: BACB)

Application of Applied Behavior Analysis to the Juvenile Justice Population. VANESSA BETHEA-MILLER (Bethea-Miller Behavioral Consulting).

Using the Performance Diagnostic Checklist: An Effective Tool for Increasing Fidelity of Behavior Support Plans. LISA SANETTI (University of Connecticut); Melissa Collier-Meek (University of Massachusetts-Boston).

Approaches to Online Teaching and Learning: Behavior Analysis and Beyond. NICOLE DAVIS (Northeastern University); Laura Dudley (Northeastern University)


Invited Address: Establishing and Maintaining Good Rapport in Behavior Analytic Consulting. (1.0 CEUs: BACB) GREGORY HANLEY (FTF Behavioral Consulting).

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Armed with proper assumptions and assessment-based interventions, behavior analytic practitioners and consultants can bring much joy to families of children and adolescents with behavioral challenges. There is however considerable variability in the extent to which these outcomes occur given the same assessment processes and interventions. When ideal outcomes are not achieved, practitioner’s often observe parents as they implement the interventions, measure implementation integrity and then attempt to improve it, hoping then that with proper implementation the behavioral challenge will be adequately addressed. This last step in the consultative process may be circumvented altogether or at least eased when strong rapport has been established between the consultant and the parents. Despite the lack of empiricism regarding this concept, I will join others in emphasizing its importance, and describe the assumptions, actions, procedures, and policies within behavior-analytic consulting practices that seem establish or weaken rapport between parents and consultants.

5:00 PM-5:20 PM, Exhibition Hall AWARD CEREMONY

5:30 PM-7:00 PM, Grand Ballroom

BABAT POSTER SESSION

BABAT OPEN BOARD MEETING

BABAT 40th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION – Join us for a small birthday celebration

POSTER SESSION1. Implementing a Response Block and Redirection Procedure with Replacement Behavior to Reduce Instances of Pica. ALISON REGAN, Samuel Hauslaib, and Elizabeth Nulty (CCSN Behavioral Health).

2. Using Teaching Interaction Procedure (TIP) to Train Car Safety Skills for a Child with ASD. SAMUEL HAUSLAIB and Elizabeth Nulty (CCSN Behavioral Health).

3. An Examination of Observational Learning Using Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior. TALI RUDY ZALTZMAN, Emily Sweeney-Kerwin (Carbone Clinic), Diana Parry-Cruwys, and Jacquelyn MacDonald (Regis College).

4. A Comparison of Equivalence-Based Instruction Versus Narrated Powerpoint to Teach Schedules of Reinforcement. RYAN LORING and Darlene Crone-Todd (Salem State University).

5. Interruption of a Behavior Chain with Protective Equipment for Severe Scratching and Picking Self Injury. TANIA VIDOSEVIC, David Kuhn, and Elena Almodovar (Milestones Behavioral Services).

6. Some Lessons Learned from Using Guided Notes in Undergraduate Instruction. Krystal Broughton and Laura Hebert (Framingham State University).

7. Applying Stimulus Equivalence Methods to Teach Decimals and Percentages to a Learner with Autism. JAYNE ELLIS COLANTONIO (The New England Center for Children and Simmons University) and Cammarie Johnson (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

8. The Use of Social Referencing to Respond in the Context of Novel Stimuli. JENNA GRAY (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University), Rebecca MacDonald, and Valerie Hall (The New England Center for Children).

9. An Evaluation of Goal Setting and Feedback on Increasing Daily Steps. JULIE FIASCHETTI, Andrea Courtemanche (University of Saint Joseph), and Nicole Groskreutz (PEAK Behavioral Services, LLC).

10. A Behavioral Economic Evaluation of Preference Assessment Methods in Organizational Behavior Management. MATTHEW NOVAK and Florence DiGennaro Reed (University of Kansas).

11. Autism Symptom Onset and Treatment for an Infant Sibling: A Case Study. KATHRYN COUGER, Victoria Weisser, Alison MacDonald, William Ahearn, and Rebecca MacDonald (The New England Center for Children).

12. Resurgence of Mands in Higher Preference Versus Lower Preference Communication Modalities. ANDREW RANCE and Chata Dickson (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

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13. Effects of Single and Multiple Exemplar Training on Acquisition and Generalization of Foundational Skills. MARIANA GUIMARAES and (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

14. Assessing and Increasing Physical Activity Engagement in Children with Autism. HANNAH KRUEGER (The New England Center for Children).

15. Antecedent Manipulations for Decreasing Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior. ELIZABETH PRESCOTT and Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children).

16. Variations in Social Preference Assessments. KALEY KNAPP (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University) and Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children).

17. A Place for Correspondence in Radical Behaviorist Epistemology. MONICA PATEL (The New England Center for Children).

18. BFSR Matrix Project: Conceptual Framework and Current Implementations. MOLLY BENSON (ABAI, BFSR SIG, & New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability), Mark Mattaini (ABAI, BFSR SIG, & University of Illinois – Chicago), Richard Rakos (ABAI, BFSR SIG, & Cleveland State University), and Holly Seniuk (Affiliation: ABAI, BFSR SIG, & University of Nevada-Reno).

19. Current Trends in Socially Valid Interventions for Problem Behavior: A literature review (1999-2018). ZOE NEWMAN (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University) and Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children).

20. Interventions to Increase Compliance with Medication Administration: A literature review. FINLEY CRUGER and Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children).

21. Negative Reinforcement of Caregiver Behavior: A Contingency Analysis and Function-Based Solutions. JACQUELINE MARRA and Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

22. Treatment of Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior Without Extinction. ANGELICA SEDANO (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University) and Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children).

23. Replacement Behaviors for Inappropriate Social Boundaries. SHARRI LUNGARINI (CCSN Behavioral Health).

24. A Performance Management System for Effectively Monitoring and Improving Program Implementation in an ABA Classroom. KATHLEEN DYER and Caroline Redpath (CREC River Street Autism Program).

25. Shifting Preferences for Choice-Making Opportunities Through Histories of Differential Immediacy. MaRGARET GIFFORD (Marquette University), Melissa Drifke (The May Institute), and Jeffrey Tiger (Marquette University).

26. Noncontingent and Differential Reinforcement to Reduce Object Mouthing. HANNAH EFFERTZ, Kyle Dawson, and Jeffrey Tiger (Marquette University).

27. An Evaluation of Within-Assessment Reliability in Paired-Stimulus Preference Assessment Data. SHAWN JANETZKE and Jason Bourret (The New England Center for Children).

28. Increasing Novel Food Consumption by a Young-Adult with Autism Through Differential Negative-Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior. LAUREN CARTER and SILVA ORCHANIAN (Melmark New England).

29. An Exploration of Self-Evaluation Through Video to Increase Social Skills Generalisation in Children with HFASD. REGINA BRADY (National University of Ireland Galway and The New England Center for Children) and Jennifer Holloway (National University of Ireland Galway).

30. Programming for Denied or Delayed Access to Reinforcers within a Multiple Schedule. MATTHEW DECHO, Victoria Cimino, Marsha Allen, Sky Saraceni, Jasmine Barada, Minoo Makkencherry, and David Kuhn (Milestones Behavioral Services, Inc.).

31. Effects of Response Effort on Spontaneous and Reinforced Variability. LAUREN PALMATEER, Jonathan Pinkston, and Andrew Nuzzolilli (Western New England University).

32. A Sorting-to-Matching Strategy for Teaching Identity Matching of Complex Stimuli. GEGUEL LANDESTOY, Robert Chiaccio, and Chata Dickson (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

33. Concurrent DRA Schedules in the Treatment of Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior without Extinction. ANGELICA ARCURI (The New England Center for Children).

34. Perceived Stress, Impulsive Decision Making, and Procedural Fidelity in Staff Members. ASHLEY AINSWORTH, Andrea Courtemanche (University of Saint Joseph), and Adam Brewer (Western Connecticut State University).

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35. An Imitation-to-Matching Procedure for Establishing Auditory Discrimination in Children with Autism. JOANNA LIEW and Chata Dickson (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

36. Increasing and Maintaining Procedural Integrity Using a Brief Video Model. BRANDI TODARO and William Ahearn (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

37. Evaluation of Quiz Length on Student Behavior in an Undergraduate Psychology Course. KATHRYN GLODOWSKI, Jonathan Ivy, and Fred Carriles (Penn State Harrisburg).

38. An Evaluation of Hypothetical Reward Magnitude on Progressive Ratio Breakpoint. ANDREW NUZZOLILLI and Jonathan Pinkston (Western New England University).

39. A Training Procedure for Teaching Self-Monitoring of Appropriate Task Engagement. SAM SHEETS, Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children), and Erin Leif (Monash University).

40. Matching Visual Stimuli: Does Similarity Matter? KELSEY FLYNN and Chata Dickson (The New England Center for Children and Western New England University).

41. Increasing Physical Activity for Children Diagnosed with Autism. Chelsea Hedquist, Eileen Roscoe, and NABIL MEZHOUDI (The New England Center for Children).

42. Emergent Listener Fluency. JI YOUNG KIM, Madeline Frank and Daniel Fienup (Teachers College, Columbia University).

43. Comparison of Behavior-Specific and General Praise with Instructive Feedback on Skill Acquisition. NATALIE MANDEL, Catia Cividini-Motta (University of South Florida), and Jeffrey Schram (Engage Behavioral Health).

44. Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Interview Skills to Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. JOSEPH RYAN, Rocio Rosales, Derek McCann, and Tracy Pereira (University of Massachusetts Lowell).

45. The Use of Conditional Probability Data to Assess Setting Events. CODY MORRIS (Salve Regina University), Daphne Snyder, Kelsey Webster, and Stephanie Peterson (Western Michigan University).

46. Decreasing Disruptive Behavior: A Comparison of Planned Ignore and Inclusionary Timeout. MELISSA CLARK (Melmark New England).

47. Using the BFRS-R to Inform Functional Analysis and Treatment of Severe Problem Behavior. KATHERINE SORENSEN, Ali Schroeder, and Clare Liddon (The May Institute).

48. A Review of Self-Monitoring Interventions for Increasing Physical Activity in Individuals with Autism. HOLLY WIGGINS and Eileen Roscoe (The New England Center for Children, Western New England University).

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019 6:30 AM-1:00 PM, Showcase Corner

Conference check-in


Opening Remarks


Invited Address: Six Metaphysical Sources of Reinforcement. (1.0 CEUs: BACB) PATRICK FRIMAN (Boys Town).

The word metaphysics has several definitions. The earliest and simplest is after or beyond physics. Aristotle wrote his noted treatise “Physics” first and subsequently wrote “The Metaphysics.” The definition that best fits this talk is “lacking form or substance.” It is no exaggeration to say that behavior analysts have given metaphysics, no matter how you define it, a wide berth. In this talk, I advocate a reconsideration. I describe six sources of reinforcement that lack form and readily apprehensible substance. Describing their form and substance is not impossible, but at present operational definitions are not available. The purpose of this talk is not to provide the definitions, although it will provide

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some movement towards them. The purpose of the talk is to demonstrate that behavior analysts can and will consider subject matter that affects all human beings even though it does not lend itself readily to observation and measurement. The six sources are: 1) sense of certainty and control: 2) sense of uncertainty and lack of control; 3) sense of importance or significance; 4) the experience of love, connection, and intimacy; 5) the experience of growth; 6) acts of giving beyond oneself.

10:00 AM – 11:20 AM, Ballroom North

Symposium: Variables Affecting the Formation of Stimulus Equivalence Classes: Recent Research and Implications. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: KENNETH REEVE (Caldwell University) Discussant: KAREN LIONELLO-DENOLF (Assumption College)

Inclusion of Prompts in Equivalence Classes. SIMONE PALMER (Simmons University); Russell Maguire (Simmons University); Karen Lionello-DeNolf (Assumption College); Paula Braga-Kenyon (Kadiant)

Effects of Using “Both” and “Neither” Response Options to Establish Equivalence Classes with College Students. Stephanie Bendush (Caldwell University); ADRIENNE JENNINGS (Caldwell University); Kenneth Reeve (Caldwell University); Sharon Reeve (Caldwell University); Tina Sidener (Caldwell University); Leif Albright (Caldwell University).

Comparing Compound Stimuli to Single Samples and Comparisons during Equivalence Class Formation.CHRISTOPHER COLASURDO (Caldwell University); Kenneth Reeve (Caldwell University); Adrienne Jennings (Caldwell University); Sharon Reeve (Caldwell University); Jason Vladescu (Caldwell University); Leif Albright (Caldwell University)


Invited Address: Five secrets to effective parent training: Examining underappreciated process and content variables. (1.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) KEITH ALLEN (Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation).

There are numerous child behavior management and instructional techniques, derived from ABA, that have been proven effective and can be taught to parents for improving child outcomes. However, evidence-based practice requires knowledge of more than just effective treatment. Accumulated evidence across clinical disciplines suggests that the process of delivering a treatment matters as well and perhaps more than you think. We will review five nearly secret content and process variables important to being an effective parent trainer and discuss implications for applied behavior analysis in practice.

10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Ballroom South

Invited Address: Social economics: Can pro-social behavior be explained in cost-benefit terms? (1.0 CEUs: BACB) TIM HACKENBERG (Reed College).

Social behavior is a topic of enormous scientific importance that spans disciplines from neuroscience to anthropology. One type of social behavior that has received a good deal of recent attention is pro-social, defined as behavior that produces benefits for another. To the extent that behaving for the good of another incurs costs to the individual, such behavior poses important theoretical challenges to behavioral and economic models based on cost-benefit tradeoffs for individuals. In this talk, I will share some recent work from our lab in two areas of pro-social behavior in rats: cooperation, in which mutual benefits require the coordinated actions of two rats; and social release, in which the behavior of one rat releases a second rat from a restraint. While both types of behavior have been offered as examples of phenomena not reducible to individual-level mechanisms, our research suggests instead that pro-social behavior can be conceptualized and studied in standard behavioral-economic terms. Moreover, such methods suggest new and improved methods for exploring the mechanisms of pro-social behavior more generally.

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Invited Address: Behavioral processes underlying fear responses in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications for practice. (1.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH) LAURA TURNER (University of Saint Joseph).

Approximately 64% of youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit clinically significant fears and phobias (e.g., dentist, loud noises) that disrupt daily living. Despite the high prevalence, the behavioral processes underlying fear responses in individuals with ASD are not well understood. The purpose of this talk is to provide a comprehensive overview of the phenomenology and behavioral conceptualization of fears and phobias in individuals with ASD. Utilizing both the experimental psychopathology and behavioral-analytic literatures, this talk will focus on how a better understanding of direct (operant and respondent) and indirect (e.g., vicarious) learning pathways can inform several current issues related to assessment and treatment of fear responses (e.g., measurement of multiple modalities of avoidance and escape). This talk will also highlight the importance of teaching a generalized functional alternative as a prevention/mitigation strategy for relapse of fears and phobias.

10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Junior Ballroom

Symposium: Treating Automatically Maintained Vocal Stereotypy: Benefits Beyond Decreases in Stereotypy. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: CANDICE COLON (Behavioral Concepts (BCI)

Discussant: WILLIAM AHEARN (The New England Center for Children)

Evaluating the Effects of Access to Music on Vocal Stereotypy and Skill Acquisition. Joel Greenbaum (University of South Florida); Catia Cividini-Motta (University of South Florida); NATALIE MANDEL (University of South Florida).

Further Analysis of Motor versus Vocal Response Interruption and Redirection when Treating Automatically Maintained Vocal StereotypyCandice Colon (Behavioral Concepts); William Ahearn (The New England Center for Children); MEAGAN CANNON (Behavioral Concepts); Kathy Clark (The New England Center for Children).

Examining Stereotypy When Promoting Appropriate Behavior: Reinforcement and RIRD. HALEY STEINHAUSSER (The New England Center for Children); Rebecca Foster (The New England Center for Children); Mariah Jacobs (The New England Center for Children); Riley Fergus (The New England Center for Children); Cassidy Doggett (The New England Center for Children); William Ahearn (The New England Center for Children).

10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Meeting Room A

Symposium: Improving Health and Wellness: A Sampling of Research in Behavioral Medicine. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: GRETCHEN A. DITTRICH (Simmons University)

Effects of Behavioral Coaching on Exercise Behavior and Adherence. JESSICA R. MIAS (Simmons University); Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University); Russel W. Maguire (Simmons University).

The Effects of Feedback Schedules on the Acquisition and Maintenance of Proper Sitting Posture. BRIAN JADRO (Simmons University); Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University); Ronald F. Allen (Simmons University).

Modified Bedtime Routine and Graduated Extinction to Treat Sleep Problems in a Child with Autism. KYLAN TURNER (Simmons University).

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10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Meeting Room B

Symposium: Novel Methods for Improving the Validity and Quality of Data Collection and Behavioral Interventions. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: JENNIFER ZARCONE (May Institute)

Discussant: MICHAEL DORSEY (Amego INC.)

Establishing Validity of Parent Report: Can Parents Detect Effective Treatments for Severe Problem Behavior? Michael Cataldo (Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine); JESSICA BECRAFT (Kennedy Krieger Institute); Patricia Kurtz (Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine); Helen Yu-Lefler (Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health); Usai Bah (Kennedy Krieger Institute).

The Use of Computerized Prompts to Improve Behavioral Data Collection in a Medical Setting. GREGORY YOUNG (Franciscan Children’s); Mary Laurette Hughes (Franciscan Children’s); Aimee Lyons (Franciscan Children’s).

Evaluating Quality of Behavior Support Plans. URIAH HEDRICH (The May Institute); Sarah Frampton (The May Institute); Clare Liddon (The May Institute); Yannick Schenk (The May Institute); Michael Mullane (The May Institute); Kelsey Ventura (The May Institute); Cynthia Anderson (The May Institute).

10:00 AM-11:20 AM, Meeting Room D (PPS)

Tutorial: Dotting the I’s and Crossing the T’s: Documentation Compliance. (1.5 CEUs: BACB) AMY WEINSTOCK (Autism Insurance Resource Center); THEA DAVIS (Autism Bridges & MassCAP); EILEEN MENDES (Italian Home for Children & MassCAP).

Providing insurance funded services to individuals with autism requires more than just assessing the individual, developing the treatment plan, and providing direct instruction. Understanding state and federal laws related to service delivery, documentation, and billing; as well as understanding contract terms and distinctions in medical necessity criteria across payers can be challenging to navigate. Missing one small but critical regulation, policy, or sentence in a contract can make or break a business. This tutorial will offer guidelines on ethical documentation practices, retention schedules for medical records, conformance to documentation expectations with respect to medical necessity criteria, preparing for an external audit, conducting internal audits, and how to navigate the back of the house needs.

10:00 AM-12:50 PM, Hilton Perennials B Workshop: Using Organizational Behavior Management to Maximize Leadership and Performance. (3.0 CEUs: BACB) CRESSE MORRELL (Milestones Behavioral Services); Suzanne Letso (Milestones Behavioral Services); Nicholas Weatherly (Milestones Performance Innovations).

The role of a practicing behavior analyst often starts in the direct provision of services. Once a practitioner gets so good at this service provision s/he will often get promoted, responsible now for supervising others. However, specific training and support in becoming an effective and efficient leader is often not provided for early career behavior analysts as they advance into roles of management, senior leadership, and into business operations. These roles offer unique challenges to those practitioners and to the field of behavior analysis that are often not formally addressed. The science that can impact the behaviors that make an exemplary leader is the same science behind the exemplar front-line practitioner. This workshop will provide a rationale for the use of Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and illustrate the great value in using this science to maximize performance as well as offer strategies for the development and implementation of tools to aid behavior analysts in their use of OBM in their respective organizations.

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10:00 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room C Workshop: Teaching Complex Verbal Behavior under Multiple Control: Theory and Application (3.0 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)OLGA MELESHKEVICH (Simmons University, ABA Consulting); JUDAH B. AXE (Simmons University).

With early learners, behavior analysts often teach the basic verbal behavior operants, such as mands, tacts, echoics, and intraverbals. Once these repertoires are developed, programming should incorporate multiply controlled verbal behavior, such as answering questions about pictures and answering multi-part questions. Sundberg and Sundberg (2011) defined a verbal conditional discrimination (VCD) as: “two or more components of a verbal stimulus where one verbal stimulus alters the evocative effect of another verbal stimulus (or vice versa) in the same antecedent event” (p. 26). The presenters will define and provide examples of two types of VCD: (1) auditory–visual (i.e., answering questions about pictures [tact-intraverbals]) and (2) auditory–auditory (i.e., multiply controlled intraverbals). They will describe and illustrate research-based strategies to teach each type of VCD and overcome restricted stimulus control (Axe, 2008; Grow & LeBlanc, 2013; Kisamore et al., 2013; Lowenkron, 2006; Sundberg & Sundberg, 2011). The presenters will discuss how procedures based on multiple control may produce generalization within verbal operants. Finally, the presenters will integrate the concepts of joint control, naming, echoic/self-echoic behavior, and autoclitic frames into the workshop.

10:00 AM-12:50 PM, Hilton Perennials A Workshop: Creating Systemic Change Through the use of Drivers. (3.0 CEUs: BACB)TAMARA SHOOK (IPPI Learning Academy); Victoria Gomez (IPPI Learning Academy).

Drivers are commonly used by businesses to improve outcomes such as profits and output. This workshop will expose participants to these strategies & how they can be applied in a private special education setting to improve client and staff outcomes. The example highlighted specifies (a) how drivers were chosen, (b) how teams were formed and (c) progress was monitored over time. Data were collected and analyzed in the areas of (a) on-boarding procedures, (b) data-based decision making and (c) staff performance assessment and feedback.


Invited Address: When Values and Codes Collide: Making the Case for an Ethical Decision Making Process BCBAs. (1.0 CEU: BACB ETHICS) ILENE SCHWARTZ (University of Washington).

Professional ethical compliance codes have several purposes but their primary purpose should arguably be the guidance of ethical behavior when members of a profession are faced with a dilemma. For Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code (PECC) identifies ethical and unethical behavior while practicing the science of applied behavior analysis in various settings such as homes, clinics, and schools. While the PECC is likely well intentioned its effort to ensure that BCBAs act professionally and ethically, its emphasis on compliance may prevent practitioners from openly discussing sensitive ethical dilemmas. Additionally, the ethical codes that BCBAs must operate under to remain in compliance with the PECC may sometimes be incompatible with the values and ethics of other professionals in school settings. When members of two or more disciplines operate under different ethical assumptions and codes, conflict is likely to occur, leading to a breakdown in teaming and collaboration. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss different approaches that professionals use to develop and implement ethical codes and to make decisions when ethical dilemmas arise in practice.

11:00 AM-11:50 AM, Ballroom South

Invited Address: The Validity of Functional Analysis using Isolated-and Synthesized-Contingency Tests. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) JEFFREY TIGER (Marquette University).

Functional analyses are intended to identify the reinforcers maintaining problem behavior in order to inform clinicians selection of interventions. Traditionally, these analyses have tested the sensitivity to isolated reinforcement contingencies and in doing so have ruled in and ruled out potential sources of reinforcement. Recently, some functional-analysis models have forgone testing individual reinforcement contingencies and instead test problem behavior’s sensitivity to two or more reinforcers simultaneously in a synthesized reinforcement contingency. This talk analyzes these approaches in terms of their sensitivity, specificity, divergent validity, and predictive validity to yield best-practice recommendations and to nominate areas of future research.

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Invited Address: A Behaviour Analysis of Theory of Mind: Theoretical and applied implications. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) FRANCESCA DEGLI ESPINOSA (ABA Clinic, UK).

The term Theory of Mind has come to refer to a collection of responses involving one’s ability to predict another person’s behaviour based on understanding that person’s perspective. Extensively studied for over 30 years, Theory of Mind is traditionally considered an important milestone and a theoretical system to explain additional social and cognitive processes in typical and atypical development. Despite the importance of the topic, behaviour analysis has yet to provide a satisfactory account of the variables that control the types of behaviour commonly held to denote such a repertoire. In this presentation, I set out to provide the beginning of such an account, by describing the controlling variables of the component verbal skills that are required to demonstrate Theory of Mind. In other words, I will attempt to answer the question “What is the child doing when he is said to demonstrate Theory of Mind?”. Secondly, I will illustrate a hierarchical sequence of instructional activities derived from such analysis to establish perspective taking in children with autism, a syndrome with known deficits in these skills. The application of a teaching technology derived from a conceptual and experimental analysis both validates and extends the basic approach.

11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Junior Ballroom

Symposium: The Application of Behavior Analytic Technology across Multiple Areas of Public Education. (1.5 CEUs: BACB)Chair: JENNIFER HILTON (Endicott College)

Using Behavior Skills Training to Train Teachers to Implement Functional Analyses and Subsequent Interventions. Jennifer Hilton (Endicott College); Samantha Volpe (Elwyn, Endicott College); KAREN JEWETT (ACCEPT Collaborative).

Using Rules Paired with Discriminative Stimuli to Reduce Disruption and Noise in an Elementary Cafeteria. ALYSSA PELOQUIN (Hopkinton Public Schools); Jennifer Hilton (Endicott College).

The use of a Multi-Component Treatment Package to Increase Reading Fluency in Young Children. JENNIFER HILTON (Endicott College); Mary Jane Weiss (Endicott College); Thomas Zane (University of Kansas); Justin Leaf (Autism Partnership, Endicott College).

11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room A

Symposium: Recent Advances in Extending Emergent Responding Training Protocols and Research Designs. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: BRYAN BLAIR (Long Island University-Brooklyn)

Evaluating the Emergence of Untrained Academic and Applied Skills After Training with Video Vignettes. BRYAN BLAIR (Long Island University-Brooklyn); Lesley Shawler (Endicott College); Leif Albright (The Manhattan Children’s Center); Daniel Ferman (The Manhattan Children’s Center).

Using Equivalence Based Instruction to Improve Discrimination Between Discriminative Stimuli and Motivating Operations. SHANNON SHEA MCDONALD (Endicott College and The Vinfen Corporation); Mary Jane Weiss (Endicott College); Michael Weinberg (Amego, Inc.); Bryan Blair (Long Island University-Brooklyn).

The “Air Gap” Research Design: Participant Isolation and Experimental Control in Within-Subjects Research Designs. Bryan Blair (Long Island University-Brooklyn); PAUL MAHONEY (Amego, Inc.).

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11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room B

Symposium: Mainstream Applications in ABA. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: JACQUELYN MACDONALD (Regis College)

Discussant: ALAN HARCHIK (Independent Monitor and Consultant)

Using Reinforcement and Feedback to Attempt Reduced Energy Consumption in Commercial Printers. JESSICA DAY WATKINS (Drexel University); Lauren Schnell (Hunter College); Jason Vladescu (Caldwell University).

Sleeping Beauties: Teaching Adults to Arrange Safe Infant Sleep Environments. SAMANTHA BREEMAN (Caldwell University); Jacqueline Carrow (Caldwell University); Jason Vladescu (Caldwell University); April Kisamore (Hunter College); Sharon Reeves (Caldwell University).

Effects of a Contingency Manipulation Within a Personalized System of Instruction with Undergraduate Students. KENDRA GUINNESS (Regis College); Jacquelyn MacDonald (Regis College); Diana Parry-Cruwys (Regis College); Ryan Atkinson (Regis College).

11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Hilton Garden B

Workshop: Utilizing Behavior Contracts in a Private Special Education Setting

CATHERINE TRANQUILLO (IPPI Learning Academy); KRYSTAL JACKSON (IPPI Learning Academy); APRIL RIBAS (IPPI Learning Academy); Tamara Shook (IPPI Learning Academy). (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)

Behavior Contracts are a tool that can be used in most any classroom, home, or other environment, and are effective behavior change tools for clients of all ages. These binding agreements use the Premack Principle and rule governed behavior principles to shape behavior, increase motivation, provide structure, and promote responsibility and accountability. This workshop will show participants how using Behavior Contracts in their environment can significantly change a range of client behavior. Real case examples will be explored, and step by step development procedures will be shared with participants.

11:30 AM-12:30 PM, Meeting Room D (PPS)

Invited Address: How an ABA Organization Created an Apprenticeship Model and Why You Should Too

Tim Courtney (LittleStar ABA Therapy)

The Behavior Analysis Certification Board continues to increase the standards for supervision of BCBA candidates, which is necessary for the field to improve continually. However, this is challenging for organizations to meet the needs of both their clients and their supervisees. Throughout the ages, experts in all trades passed along their knowledge and skill through apprenticeship opportunities. An apprenticeship supervision model allows Board Certified Behavior Analysts to supervise future behavior analysts by mentoring, educating, and training supervisees on the science of human behavior in a mutually beneficial format. In this presentation, I highlight the reason we created the apprenticeship model. Additionally, I will underline critical learnings through the course of implementing this system. Lastly, I will describe the plans for this model and in particular, the impact of the new CPT codes.

11:30 AM-12:50 PM, Meeting Room E

Single Paper Session: Advances in Teaching Communication

Transition Low to High-Tech Augmented Alternative Communication (AAC) System: Effects on Augmented and Vocal Requesting. NOUF ALZRAYER (King Saud University).

The Impact of Intraverbal Webbing Procedure in The Emergence of Advanced Intraverbal Skills. NOUF ALZRAYER (King Saud University).

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Teaching Problem Solving Skills to Young Adults with Down Syndrome. ASHLEY ALBANESE (Caldwell University); Tina Sidener (Caldwell University); Allison Parker (Caldwell University); Kenneth Reeve (Caldwell University); April Kisamore (Hunter College).

Teaching Individuals with an ASD to Tact and Comment on Emotions: An Evaluation of OiGO©. Taylor Randall (University of South Florida); Catia Cividini-Motta (University of South Florida); NATALIE MANDEL (University of South Florida).


Invited Address: Effective Supervision; It’s Not Just for Trainees. (1.0 CEUs: BACB SUPERVISION) TYRA SELLERS (Behavior Analyst Certification Board).

From 1999, the first year in which the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®) certification was available, until March 2019 there has been a 600% increase in the number of BCBAs (from 4,707 to 33,353 BCBAs), the bulk of which has occurred in the last 10 years. This represents not only increasing numbers of individuals actively pursuing certification, but also increasing numbers of novice certificants in the workforce. These increases are especially relevant considering that 76% of practicing certificants who responded to a 2016 job task survey from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® reported their primary-practice areas were providing clinical services to individuals with Autism and Developmental Disorders. Our field places an emphasis on providing high-quality supervision during the accrual of practical experience hours. However, it is equally critical to ensure that individuals, post-certification, continue to provide excellent clinical services and expand their skills. It is imperative that we, as a field, have continued discussions about what it means, functionally, to provide high-quality to individuals over the full course of their careers. This talk focuses on a tiered conceptualization of, and approach to, providing effective supervision that ensures the initial and continued development of robust clinical repertoires.


Panel Discussion: Addressing Barriers to Conducting Functional Analyses within Home and Community settings. (1.0 CEU: BACB)Chair: JULIE BAZINET (Key Autism Services)

Panelists: DARIA YUDIN (Key Autism Services); STEPHANIE NOSTIN (Key Autism Services); & CARA GIBNEY (Key Autism Services).

Conducting Functional Analyses (FA) to determine cause for challenging behaviors, thus developing function-based treatment, has become the gold standard of behavior analysis (Hanley, Iwata & McCord, 2003). However, barriers exist to conducting assessments, involving manipulation of variables in less controlled, non-hospital and residential settings. This is evidenced by only 17.4% of published FA results being conducted within the home, vocational or community setting (Hanley et all 2003). Identification of potential barriers may include lack of resources and inadequate training and supervision, in addition to concerns involving procedural integrity and parent consent/involvement (Stokes & Luiselli, 2008). Potential solutions may assist in increasing and supporting the conducting of FAs across settings for a greater ability to generalize results and treatment. The focus of this panel will be a discussion of the identification, assessment, and solutions for FA barriers in the home and community setting. This panel will review the current research surrounding procedural integrity, cultural, and safety barriers associated with conducting FA’s in a home or community setting.


Invited Address: How Drugs Work: Behavioral and Pharmacological Mechanisms of Action. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) CHRIS NEWLAND (Auburn University).

Behavioral pharmacology has a long history of investigating both behavioral and pharmacological mechanisms by which drugs act. An understanding of these mechanisms is applicable to drugs used in clinical settings. The role of the receptor in understanding drug actions is widely appreciated and pertinent to many clinical effects. This will be reviewed briefly. The modification of drug actions through behavioral mechanisms is not as widely appreciated but this crucial aspect of drug effects can be important and will be emphasized in this presentation. Among behavioral mechanisms discussed will be the role of stimulus control in modifying drug effects, anti-punishment effects of sedative-hypnotics, the impact of neuroleptics on behavior maintained by negative reinforcement, and environmental modifiers of stimulant effects on impulsivity.

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1:30 AM-2:50 PM, Hilton Garden B

Panel: Behavioral Sustainability: How Our Science Can Save Our Species. (1.5 CEUs: BACB)Chair: BRIAN JADRO (New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability)

A Review of Recent Sustainability Research. BRIAN JADRO (New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability).

The Role of Behavior Analysts in Public Policy Regarding Sustainability. MOLLY BENSON (Behaviorists for Social Responsibility and New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability).

The Importance of Local Outreach and Effective Means to Solicit Collaborative Opportunities. KATIE DAPONTE (New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability).

Round Table Discussion: Small-and Large-Scale Methods of Promoting Behavioral Sustainability. BRIAN JADRO (New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability); MOLLY BENSON (Behaviorists for Social Responsibility and New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability); JONATHAN KIMBALL (New England Behavior Analysts for Sustainability).


Symposium: Effective Interventions Without Extinction. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: JESSICA SLATON (Nashoba Learning Group)

Discussant: MAHSHID GHAEMMAGHAMI (University of the Pacific)

Evaluating the Efficacy of and Preference for Reinforcer Variation and Choice to Teach Academic Skills. LAURA HANNRATTY (Elms College); Miranda Fogg (Elms College); Alyssa Clark (Elms College); Christopher Tamburrino (Elms College).

Simultaneous and Sequential Presentation of Preferred and Nonpreferred Foods to Increase Consumption. MORGAN DAVIS (Regis College, Nashoba Learning Group); Jacquelyn MacDonald (Regis College); Jessica Slaton (Nashoba Learning Group).

FCT Without Extinction in a School Setting. JESSICA SLATON (Nashoba Learning Group); Katherine Raftery (Nashoba Learning Group); David DePetris (Nashoba Learning Group).


Symposium: Addressing Complex and Challenging behavior in Children with Autism. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University)

A Comparison of Mixed and Multiple Schedules of Reinforcement and Extinction Following Functional Communication Training. ASHLEY WILLIAMS (Simmons University, ABACS); Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University); Ronald F. Allen (Simmons University); Alison Betz (Behavior Services of the Rockies).

The Effects of Teaching a Rehearsal Response on Delayed Multi-Step Selection-Based Responding. KELLY HURLEY (Simmons University); Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University); Russell W. Maguire (Simmons University); David C. Palmer (Smith College).

Stimulus Control to Decrease Stereotypic Behaviors. JILL MENGEL (Center for Autism and Related Disorders & Simmons University).

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Tutorial: Supervision. (1.5 CEUs: BACB SUPERVISION) MARIELA VARGAS-IRWIN (Applied Behavioral Learning Services); ANN FILER (Applied Behavioral Learning Services) & TIMOTHY PISKURA (Applied Behavioral Learning Services).

This tutorial will review recent changes in BCBA, BCABA, and RBT requirements as well as ethical guidelines applicable to recruiting, training, and supervising behavior technicians. Behavioral Skills Training and Teaching Interaction techniques will be reviewed and advantages and disadvantages of live, online, and independent study training modalities will be examined. Lastly, performance management techniques will be contrasted with traditional progressive discipline.


Invited Address: Advocating for Public Policy that Supports the Practice of Behavior Analysis. (1.0 CEU: BACB) NAN LEONARD (Nashoba Learning Group), KIM MACK ROSENBERG (Bouer Law), KATHERIN JOHNSON (Advances Learning Center), KEVIN SCHLICHENMEYER (The Autism Community Therapists)

The amazing increase in ABA services providers in Massachusetts has been driven by revenue streams created by legislation that supports ABA. This presentation will focus on both state and federal laws that impact the delivery of ABA services. Continued vigilance and advocacy for public policy that supports our field will allow it to thrive and prevent any potential diminution in the quality and availability of ABA services.


Symposium: Examining Strategies for Addressing Social Behavior in Children with ASDs. (1.5 CEUs: BACB and PSYCH)Chair: WILLIAM H AHEARN (New England Center for Children)

Effects of Development-Matched and Age-Matched Targets on Play Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. HEATHER M. PANE (Caldwell University); Tina M. Sidener (Caldwell University); Sharon Reeve (Caldwell University); April Kisamore (Hunter College); Anjalee Nirgudkar (Behavior Analysts of NJ, LLC).

Teaching Symbolic Play to Young Children with Autism Using In-Vivo Modeling and Matrix Training. LAURA WILHELM (The New England Center for Children); William H Ahearn (The New England Center for Children).

Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Mand “Why?” PRIYA PATIL (Caldwell University); Tina M. Sidener (Caldwell University); Sharon Reeve (Caldwell University); Anjalee Nirgudkar (Behavior Analysts of NJ, LLC)

An Evaluation of Synthesized SSP Procedures on Echoic Responding in Children with Autism. KAYLEA QUINN (The New England Center for Children); William H. Ahearn (The New England Center for Children)

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1:30 PM-2:50 PM, Hilton Perennials A

Roundtable Discussion: The Fields Center Model: An Innovative Approach to Interdisciplinary Behavior Analytic Services. (1.5 CEUs: BACB)Chair: JENNIFER BOGIN (Fields Center)

This two-part Roundtable discussion will include a presentation on the Fields Center’s innovative co-treatment model for delivering behavior analytic services in the community. Item G-06 of the BACB’s 4th edition Task List requires that Behavior Analysts be able to: “provide behavior-analytic services in collaboration with other who support and/or provide services to their clients.” The Fields Center co-treatment pilot project is a new approach towards breaking down barriers and providing ABA services alongside Speech-Language Pathologists conducting sessions using evidence-based practices including: using AAC, functional communication training and differential reinforcement. The evidence supporting this treatment model evaluation procedures for the pilot project will also be discussed. Participants can ask questions and will be encouraged to discuss the merits of providing behavior analytic services in a co-treatment model in community-based setting. Challenges and issues working with interdisciplinary teams and best practices for collaboration will also be discussed. The second portion of the workshop will present preliminary data from the Fields Autism Provider Meet-Up group that has been meeting monthly since September 2018. Outcomes from professional networking events, future projects, and the role of peer supervision and networking in advancing the field of ABA will also be discussed.

1:30 PM-2:50 PM, Hilton Perennials B

Panel Discussion: Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Autism through Vocational and Internship Programs. (1.5 CEUs: BACB)Chair: P. TYLER PROULX (Virginia Institute of Autism)

Virginia Institute of Autism: Community Partner Internship Program. P. TYLER PROULX (Virginia Institute of Autism).

Alpine Learning Group: Structured Learning Experience. CORTNEY DEBAISE (Alpine Learning Group).

Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Autism through Vocational and Internship Programs. TRACIE MANN (Child Study Center).

University Partnership with State Funded Program. NATALIE VILLANTE (University of Houston Clear Lake)


Invited Address: The Practical Utility of Behavioral Economics: Assessment Tools for Enhancing Intervention in ASD. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) ISER DELEON (University of Florida).

The field of behavioral economics has provided behavior analysts with new analytic tools to examine novel functional relations. Much of this work has been theoretical or conceptual, involving lengthy or elaborate analyses used to make inferences about decision-making as it relates to cost and consumption of reinforcers. Over the past few years, our lab has been exploring ways to simplify and adopt the analytic tools of behavioral economics for practical use across a variety of contexts in working with individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. I will highlight several of our more recent efforts across a diverse range of topics (e.g., treating behavior disorders, motivating physical over sedentary activity, promoting healthier alternatives to less-nutritive edible reinforcers). I will further consider other ways in which behavioral economic concepts and procedures could be incorporated profitably into everyday behavior-change strategies.

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Invited Address: Looking Beyond the Single Case: The Consecutive Case Methodologies. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) LOUIS HAGOPIAN (Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine).

The predominant use of single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) in the field of applied behavior analysis can be attributed to the fact they are optimally suited for analyzing environment-behavior interactions, experimentally robust, and have tremendous clinical utility for the functional analysis of behavior and the evaluation of treatment outcomes. Recent years have seen an increase in behavior analytic studies reporting on outcomes obtained with consecutively encountered cases where a SCED was employed with large numbers of cases. These evolving methodologies will be discussed, including their design elements and analytic methods that have the potential to increase the generality of findings. By compiling and examining outcomes with multiple cases, these methods enable researchers to ask a range of experimental questions, can yield findings that advance scientific knowledge, and further document the efficacy and generality of behavioral assessment and treatment procedures. When used in the context of program evaluation, these methods provide means to better integrate research and practice, and guide efforts to improve outcomes.


Invited Address: Instructor Behavior Associated with Trainee Attentiveness and Acceptance of Behavioral Training Workshops. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) DENNIS REID (Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center).

This presentation will describe how varying levels of attentiveness and acceptance among staff attending behavioral training workshops are associated with how instructors conduct the workshops. Initially, staff attentiveness associated with varying instructor behavior within 21 training workshops will be described. Next, acceptability responses of human service staff attending 132 training workshops will be presented regarding what the staff reported as the best and worst things about the workshops. Results will be summarized in terms of recommendations for behavior analysts to conduct behavioral training workshops in a manner that is usually associated with high trainee attentiveness and acceptance. A particular focus will be on ensuring relevance of the workshop content specifically for the work situations of the trainees, promoting different types of active trainee responses, and frequently supplementing instructor verbal presentation with other actions beyond provision of PowerPoint slides.


Invited Address: Establishing Natural Reinforcer Control with Children with ASD: Play and Imitation. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) TINA SIDENER (Caldwell University).

An important goal in behavioral intervention programs for children with ASD is to not only increase meaningful behavior, but to bring those responses under control of naturally-occurring antecedents and consequences. This presentation will discuss some of the reasons we use contrived consequences, the benefits of natural reinforcer control, and skill areas in which natural reinforcers are particularly important for children with ASD. As examples, I will present data from recent studies we conducted on teaching play skills and differential imitation to children with ASD.

MASTER OF ARTS IN APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS• Full or part-time options

• Program begins in the fall semester only with an application deadline of February 1st

• Classes are offered in the fall, spring, and summer sessions

• Students are assisted with finding a practicum placement as well as supervision that meets the field experience requirements of the BACB

• Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to sit for the BCBA exam to be a Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Westfield State University also offers a non-degree 18 credit Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis.

For more information call (413) 572-8020 or email [email protected].

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Invited Address: Overused and Understudied: Time-Out from Positive Reinforcement and Token Reinforcement Systems. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) JEANNE DONALDSON (Louisiana State University).

Time-out from positive reinforcement and token reinforcement systems share similar histories with respect to research trajectories. Research demonstrating the effectiveness of both procedures at changing behavior peaked in the 1970s and demonstrated the strength and versatility of time-out and token systems across varying populations, settings, and responses. However, little research followed up to examine the underlying mechanisms and specific conditions under which time-out and token systems are most effective. Despite our relatively limited understanding of these procedures, they are widely used (and misused) in practice by parents, teachers, and clinicians. In this talk, I will make the case that now is the time for a closer examination of time-out and token systems and present data from my research highlighting recent findings in both domains.


Invited Address: Measuring the Effects of Psychotropic Medication. (1.0 CEU: BACB and PSYCH) JENNIFER ZARCONE (The May Institute).

The presentation will focus on methods that are currently being used to evaluate the behavioral effects of medication for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. The focus of the presentation will be on the most commonly used behavioral measures, including rating scales, direct observation and functional analysis measures and how they can be used within the context of medication evaluations in school, home, community settings. Finally, the need for measures of social validity and consumer satisfaction as well as collaboration across disciplines will be discussed.

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*Orlando Behavior Health, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. OBH, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content. For questions, Email: [email protected]; Web: www.orlandobehaviorhelath.org; Tel.: 860-315-0565

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Hiring: Board Certified Behavior Analysts Added benefits available for BCBA’s working with ALP:Competitive Salary based onexperience and education alongwith monthly bonusesComprehensive benefitsincluding health, medical,dental, life and supplementalinsurances401(k) Retirement Program8 paid Holiday’s

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NOTES

Applied Behavior Analysis Program MA and CAGSSolve socially significant problems to influence change

• Practicum experience integrated with coursework• Multi-disciplinary focus• Covers both typical and atypical development• Learn the applied, experimental, and conceptual

branches of behavior analysis

Learn more at www.assumption.edu/aba

GRE

Not Required Fully on-campus program offering small class sizes.

Classes meet once a week.

Use code BABAT and we’ll waive your application fee!

Cost-effective. Convenient. Cutting-edge. vanloan.endicott.edu

ABA & Autism at Endicott CollegeCertificates | M.Ed. | Ph.D.Offering three new ABA tracks: Mental Health, Organizational Behavior Management, & Childhood Clinical Disorders

Contact Jennifer Hilton, Ph.D., BCBA978-998-7714 | [email protected]

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The JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER (JRC) is a day and residential school located in Canton, Massachusetts licensed to serve ages five through adult. Since 1971, JRC has pro-vided very effective education and treatment to both emotionally disturbed students with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychi-atric problems, as well as those with intellec-tual disabilities or on the autism spectrum.

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