Behavior Analysis Training System (BATS)
Here’s the problem…
In order for BATS to achieve high quality training, there are many complex things that
need to happen
As BATS has evolved…• We have found several problems and
opportunities
• So we have addedsubsystems to fix or exploit those problems
Program Structure• There are 11 subsystems in the Behavior
Analysis Training System• Each subsystem fulfills a different function
within the program• Subsystems are broken into 4 categories
– Supervisory Systems– 3 Credit PSY Course Teaching Systems– 1 – 2 Credit PSY Course Teaching Systems– Teaching Support Systems
Each system is comprised of:
• 2nd Year Master’s student • 1st Year
Master’s student
• 1-2 Undergraduate assistants
Responsibilities• 2nd year Master’s students:
– Train – Supervise– Pass down duties
• 1st year Master’s students:– Learn & gradually take over system– Find and solve problems within the system– Supervise undergrad assistant
• Undergraduate students:– Assist Master’s students – Write thesis
What kind of work is required?• At least 4 hours per week of system work
– Finding problems– Resolving problems– Fulfilling system duties
• Supervision of undergraduate students• Revisions of undergraduate theses*• Monthly Research & Development meetings
with Dr. Malott
Choosing your system!
• While you’re listening, remember….• You will be a part of the same system for both years in BATS• You’ll run the system with a 2nd years and an undergraduate • 4 hours of work per week
– Keeping the system running smoothly– Working on a research & development project that improves some
aspect of the system
• After the presentation rank the systems on a scale from 1-11– 1 = The system you’d MOST like to be a part of; #1 choice– 11 = The system you’d LEAST like to be a part of; your last choice
• Interrupt us if you have questions!
Now, on to the subsystems…
Behavior Analysis Training System (BATS)
Manager: Kristy Oddo
Here’s the problemThere are several things that
need to happen in order for our program to run smoothly.. So, as
a BATS 1st year, your responsibilities include….
(but are not limited to)
Interview Weekend• There are many applicants to the BATS
program each year• Someone needs to plan & facilitate all of
the events for such a large group of people
Integration of new cohortThere are many steps
involved in preparing the new cohort for the next two
years here at WMUAssisting with
class registration
Answer e-mails and phone calls
Put together the systems
presentation and assist with
system assignment
Organize training for each system
Run Weekly BATS MeetingsThere are several things that BATS members must do in order to prepare themselves for
entering the real world, such as:
Lifetime Memory Quizzes
Resumes & Vitas
Professional Conferences
Run Weekly BATS MeetingsThere are also several tasks that they must
complete in order to keep BATS running smoothly, such as:
Read this book!
Letters of recommendation
Social Validity Surveys
Alumni & Job DatabasesWe also keeps updated databases of our alumni
and job opportunities in ABA.
In Summary• We need a BATS subsystem to
– Assist our students from the beginning to the end of their time in BATS
– Ensure continuous quality improvement of the Behavior Analysis Training System
– Take care of business
Boot camp Graduation
In Summary
• What you’ll get out of being the BATS 1st year– ORGANIZATION– Get to know the 1st years– Social skills and professionalism training– A sense of responsibility
• Assist in bettering the state of BATS as a whole
Behavioral Research Supervisory System (BRSS)
Manager: Christine Gormont
Here’s the problemMasters students and
undergraduate assistants need performance management
contingencies to achieve continuous quality
improvement…
Task CompletionBRSS system managers verify task
completion of graduate and undergraduate students at the weekly meetings
RecruitmentWe recruit hard-working undergraduates to assist the graduate students with their
various research projects . We do this by: Reviewing applications Accept or decline
Interview Process
Project/Thesis PresentationsWe verify completion of undergraduate and
graduate writing assignments each week and organize the presentation of completed
projects/thesesUndergraduates Master Students
Conference postersVerify completion and printing of posters
for professional conferencesAssociation for Behavior Analysis
(ABA) Autism Chicago 2010
Human SubjectsInvestigative Research Board
BRSS is also responsible for training of the HSIRB policies and guidelines.
We ensure that each system and its members are in compliance with HSIRB policy.
We also ensure that all protocols are updated when necessary, completed, and submitted to the HSIRB for approval.
Conclusion
In this system you will be able to develop your organizational skills, system development skills, management skills, supervision skills, training skills, and much more.
BRSS is a well developed system with many established benefits, but we have recently made some major changes and updates.
If you join this system you can apply your creativity to the system in order to further its growth.
Project Performance Management System (PPMS)
Manager: Jon Timm
As 2nd years all BATS students are required to:
•Complete an Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) project
and…•Complete an autism research project
Projects Managed by PPMS• OBM Project
– 75 hour project– Gives you experience working
with the organizational issues you will encounter as professionals
• Autism Project– A mini research project– Presented at the Association for
Behavior Analysis Autism conference poster session
The Need for Supervision
• As degenerate MA students, we all need a little extra incentive to:Complete our long term projects on time Improve the quality of our long term projects
• PPMS provides the tools and supervision to make this possible!
OBM Project Responsibilities
• Weekly Task Verification• Maintaining record of completed hours• Revisions of student work• Assist students having trouble with components
of the project and OBM tools• Hold monthly supervision meetings
ABA Autism Project Responsibilities• Distribute assignments and deadlines • Verify task completion • Assist in finding resources for
completing project • Critique posters and
make editing suggestions to meet Dr. Malott’sstandards
If you become the 1st year PPMS manager you will:
•Help contribute improvements to a growing system•Gain experience in OBM •Get a good idea on what will be expected for your projects in your 2nd year
Pre-Practicum System
Manager: Julie Sanchez
Here’s the problemStudents needed some
training before they entered the practicum setting, so the
Pre-Practicum system was developed to…
Teach Students DTTWeekly role-playing with
the undergraduate assistant to perfect DTT techniques
Provide BackgroundA weekly seminar with readings and
information about the Croyden Avenue School and KAC and the practicum classroom procedures
Get Students to the Practicum Sites
We require that all Pre-Practicum students make five visits where they will…
• Get a tour of Croyden Avenue School• Observe other practicum students•Work one-on-one with a child• Take data
Transition Smoothly
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2
4
6
8
10
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Not At All Very Comfortable
How Comfortable Did You Feel The First Day At Croyden?
With Pre-Prac
No Pre-Prac
What We Have Been Doing This Year
• Creating Video Model Presentations
• Summer Pre-Prac Bootcamp ©
• Revamping Our Recruitment Process
Did You Catch That?• The preference assessment • Delivered book < 3secs• Excited tone
Did You Catch That?
• The preference assessment • Delivered book < 3secs• Excited tone
What Will We Be Doing?Teaching Seminar
• One and a Half Hours, Twice a Week Beginning Half Way Through the Semester
• Give Quizzes• Lecture• Role Play
c
What Will We Be Doing?Coordinating Pre-Prac Visits
• Coordinate Visits• Model and Give Feedback
What Can We Work On This Year?
Continuous Quality Improvement!
• Update Current Materials• Update System Protocols• Maybe Push Harder For The Autism Preliminary
Practicum BootCamp ©???
Intermediate Practicum System
Manager: Taylor Barker
Here is the Problem…
– There was a need for a practicum to transition students from the basic to the advanced level
He is definitely not ready for the Advanced
Practicum
Course Material– Our course material must be continuously
updated to:– Keep students up to date with current research
and – Teach best practice standards
– We are continuously updating the curriculum, but the students are always asking for more
Course Material– Some of the course material that has
been added in past semesters
Writing and revising hypothetical DTT
procedures
Functional Assessment
unit
Autism in the Media
Project
Supervision– Responsibilities of the Graduate Student
Instructor for the Intermediate Practicum:
Grade assignments and quizzes
Provide feedback during
one-on-one’s w/undergraduates
Give feedback & supervision
on final projects
Advanced Practicum System
Manager: Amanda Smith
Here’s the problem…
So on the 54,984,323,188,752nd day, God created the Advanced Practicum
We provide our students with…
More Experience• Our students get to:
– Gain another semester of experience and supervision at Croyden and the Center
– Act as role models for the Basic and IP students
• Which means our managers:– Spend all semester at
Croyden and the Center– Gain even more experience– Serve as role models in and
out of the booth
More Involvement• Our students will:
– Author an original procedure for a child
– Train tutors in the implementation of that procedure
– Write a sub-phase or complete a mini-project
• The managers will:– Provide constant
feedback on procedures– Train your students on
how to properly train other tutors
– Find acceptable opportunities
Opportunities to Spread Knowledge
• At the end of the semester each student will:– Have completed a final
paper– Present a PowerPoint
to everyone in the practica
• So as the semester progresses you will have to:– Give frequent
feedback on each paper
– Critique and rehearse each presentation several times
Useful Information• Don’t forget about our weekly seminar!
– You will run this 2 hour seminar once per week– We cover a wide variety of topics– First and foremost is procedure discussion and
feedback– But we also discuss:
• Functional Assessments• Discrete Trial Training• Other types of therapies• And so much more!
The Kalamazoo Autism Center (KAC) System
Manager: Kristin Loeffler
How it all began• In the Fall of 2008, Dr. Malott and his graduate
students opened the KAC serving two children with autism.
• Since then, we have expanded to eight children!
So…
Here’s the problem NEW PRACTICUM SITE = MORE PEOPLE!
At KAC, we…• Provide behavioral
treatment
• Train WMU undergraduate students to administer this treatment
• Continuously revise our materials and training
Roles of the first year M.A. Student• Grading for all of the
undergraduate practicum students
• Prepare seminar materials• Continuously update materials• Recruit tutors and children to
attend KAC• Help train tutors
Some things we are currently working on
• Recruiting for more practicum students and children
• Creating training materials
• Involving parents
So, here’s the deal…• Since this is a brand new system, we
have lots of room for cool, new ideas from YOU!
Language Facilitation Training System (LFTS):Icon Exchange
Communication SystemManager: Jennie Shooltz
What is the Icon Exchange?
• Based off of Frost and Bondy’s 1994 Picture Exchange Communication System(PECS)
• Teaches children with little to no functional communication how to communicate using pictures
A Look into the Procedure
Here’s the Problem• More focus is needed on the Icon Exchange
procedures and supervision in our classroom• We need a system to:
-Help integrate the Icon Exchange into daily activities in the classroom
-Work out the problems in a systematic manner
Train Tutors• We train Graduate and
Undergraduate tutors to implement the icon exchange
A slide from our training PowerPoint
Train Supervisors
Monitoring form
-We training supervisors to monitor Icon Exchange sessions and answer questions
Tutor: ______________ Child: ______________ Start Date: ____________ End:______________ General Items - (take off ½ a point for every time the tutor does not do this)Tutor: ______________ Child: ______________ Start Date: ____________ End:______________ General Items - (take off ½ a point for every time the tutor does not do this)
Answer Questions• Training tutors cannot cover all problems that
could occur during the Icon Exchange
• Supervisors who monitor sessions are frequently asked difficult questions and relay them back to our system for a final answer
• We then integrate this information into our training to help solve the problems
Assist with Procedural Issues• Classroom procedures can be difficult to alter• And, not everyone is as comfortable with the icon
exchange as our system managers are• We work directly with the children to work out
difficulties and “fix” the problem
Materials And Protocols• We are constantly improving our procedures and
creating new procedures to fix problems
• We integrate questions and problems into our training, manual, and materials
A visit from Dr. Bondy (creator of PECS), gave us many ideas of things to improve
Language Facilitation Training System (LFTS):
Vocal Verbal BehaviorManager: Brittain Coleman
Here are the problems• We need to:
– Ensure that all of our children are receiving a vocal assessment
– Determine what vocal procedures our children need– Make sure they are implemented correctly
Training• We train and supervise graduate students to
administer the language assessment • The training program needs to be
continuously administered and evaluated
Language Assessment • We administer the language assessment and
present the results to the classroom teachers
We are the classroom teachers
• New vocal procedures need to be developed
• The language assessment needs continuous revision
Self-ManagementManager: Dru MillerwiseWhy hello there.
May I interest you in a revolution!?!? … Please don’t
leave…
Myth or Truth?Students who do not study for their exams are lazy and incompetent.
Students don’t hand in their homework because they do not care about their future.
“C” students will always be “C” students.
Myth or Truth?Liberal education often fails to consider effective performance management strategies.
Self-ManagementSelf-Management was developed to provide extra support for students who need help completing their academic assignments.
Every week students sign a contract that lists the assignments they plan on accomplishing.
The following week, they must show proof that they completed those tasks in order to receive credit.
Self-ManagementSelf-Management “raises the bar” and holds students to a higher standard than most traditional courses. In order to receive an “A”, students must complete at least 97% of the tasks they assign themselves. We don’t rest until every student is achieving his or her goals.
Roles of the MA StudentTeach the Self-Management Course
• Run classroom discussion• Provide one-on-one supervision to students• Grade homework assignments• Handle student issues• Research new and innovative ways to battle procrastination
Procrastination
Self-Management
Roles of the MA StudentCreate and revise course material
• Develop programmed instruction• Develop creative ways to teach self-
management skills• Orchestrate the online component of the class
Online component
Not my purse
Roles of the MA StudentFacilitate the Growth of Red Facial Hair
I feel like something
is… missing?
Roles of the MA StudentFacilitate the Growth of Red Facial Hair
YARGH, that be much better!!!
The Good NewsSelf-Management is unique because it is a teaching system.
With the help of Dr. Malott, MA students make all of the decisions about the course.
The system is young; therefore, MA students have much input on the future direction of the course.
We work hard and have fun!
The Good News
We work hard… …and have fun!
Grad School Prep (GRE)Manager: Tareyn Moss
Here’s the problem…•Undergraduate students are waiting until the last minute to study for the GRE and to get everything together for grad school applications.•The procrastination devil is inside us all!
Weekly Seminar• There are 2 sections of the GRE Prep course in
which we check student tasks as well as announce any student opportunities for valuable experiences such as:
Psi Chi The Writing CenterProfessional Conferences
Grading• In seminar, students show
proof of task completion. Tasks include GRE practice tests and graduate school application material.
• Students are then quizzed over math and verbal material.
Research Study Techniques
•It is important to research the best study techniques so we can better prepare students for the GRE.
Whoa…I think I found something.
Update/Develop Course Material
• As we continue to evaluate the system, materials for students are updated and additional tools are added to make studying for the GRE and applying for grad school less stressful!
Whoa…I think Please help our stress levels!!!
Questions or Comments?