Teaching Safety Skills to Children with Autism: What Works and What Doesn’t?

Ray Miltenberger received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Western Michigan University in 1985 after completing a predoctoral internship in developmental disabilities and behavioral pediatrics from the Kennedy Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was a professor of psychology at North Dakota State University from 1985 to 2006. He is currently a professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies and the Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis programs at the University of South Florida. Dr. Miltenberger is a former President of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and has served on the Executive Committee of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis and the Board of Directors of the Society for Advancement of Behavior Analysis. He serves or has served on the editorial boards of Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Behavioral Education, Behavioral Interventions, Journal of Positive Behavioral Interventions, and Education and Treatment of Children. Dr. Miltenberger also has been the Literature Review Editor for Education and Treatment of Children, an associate editor for Education and Treatment of Children and Behavior Analysis in Practice, and a guest associate editor for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Dr. Miltenberger’s research in applied behavior analysis focuses on teaching safety skills to children and individuals with disabilities, ABA approaches in health, fitness, and sports, analysis and treatment of repetitive behavior disorders, and functional assessment and treatment of problem behaviors. He has published over 250 journal articles and chapters, has co-edited a text on analysis and treatment of tics and repetitive behavior disorders, and has written a popular behavior modification textbook, now in its sixth edition and in six languages. Dr. Miltenberger has received a number of awards for his teaching, research, and mentoring.