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Abstract

The use of functional behavior assessments (FBAs) to inform treatment recommendations has long been established as best practice in behavior analysis from both ethical and empirical standpoints. However, the practicalities of conducting various forms of FBA (and implementing subsequent interventions) in schools sometimes poses obstacles for behavior analysts and the teachers with whom they work. The degree to which these obstacles can (and should) be overcome depends on a variety of factors that might be missed if one does not carefully consider the nature of the problems and the environments in which behaviors are expected to occur. Drawing upon nearly two decades of research and clinical work in schools, Dr. Austin will address how considering teacher and student behavior can potentially point us to more effective, efficient, and acceptable practices in conducting classroom-based assessments and interventions.

About the Speaker

Jennifer L. Austin, Ph.D., BCBA-D has been applying the science of behavior analysis to improve outcomes for children and their teachers for nearly 20 years. Both her research and clinical work focus on how behavior analytic assessment and intervention strategies can be applied with typically developing children, as well as examining what adaptations may be necessary for making our science “work” in mainstream classrooms. She has worked with numerous schools in the US and the UK, focusing primarily on those in disadvantaged communities. Dr. Austin received her PhD from the Florida State University and currently serves as Principal Lecturer in Psychology at the University of South Wales, where she leads the Behaviour Analysis Unit and directs undergraduate and postgraduate programs in behavior analysis. Prior to moving to the United Kingdom, Dr. Austin served as faculty at the University of South Florida, California State University, Fresno and the University of Houston, Clear Lake. She is the past President of the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis and a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysis in Practice.

Abstract

This presentation describes evidence-based strategies for promoting happiness among adults with autism on the severe end of the spectrum. The focus is on enhancing happiness to promote a desirable quality of life among adults who have challenges readily describing their emotional experiences. Initially, means of identifying and validating indicators of happiness and unhappiness on an individual basis are presented. Next, specific strategies for increasing happiness and decreasing unhappiness during daily routines are described. Examples of topics presented include how staff and others can develop good relationships with people with autism whom they support, how to identify situations accompanied by unhappiness and how to alter those situations, ways to identify and embed individual preferences within daily routines, how to provide necessary instructional and related demands in ways that are enjoyable, and how enhancing daily enjoyment can prevent and reduce challenging behavior. Throughout the presentation there is an emphasis on how promoting happiness as a desired outcome should be targeted, monitored, and evaluated just as other more traditional outcomes are addressed in human service agencies.

About the Speaker

Dr. Dennis H. Reid is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst who has spent his career providing behavioral services as a teacher, psychologist, program director, and director of psychology services. Dr. Reid shows a sustained record of impressive and outstanding applied research with major benefits for its direct participants, populations of participants, and fellow researchers. While most of his work is reported as peer-reviewed research in the most rigorous of applied journals, he has also taken the time to write books and manuals to allow this information to be exported to the widest audience. His work on reinforcer assessment/preference and happiness indices was seminal and is frequently cited. This line of preference investigation has opened new opportunities for the lives of individuals with profound, multiple handicaps. His work in staff training and management (including staff motivation) has helped other researchers and practitioners understand and use these procedures.

Abstract

The term evidence-based practice (EBP) is often confused with the act of locating treatments which have been well-supported through past research studies, and then deciding to apply these treatments to one’s work with clients. This latter model formally originated within psychology and can be called the Research-Supported Treatments (RST) initiative, and is sponsored by Division 12 (Clinical) of the American Psychological Association. EBP is a quite different approach, originating in medicine, and includes many other considerations in choosing assessment and treatment options. These other central elements include client preferences and values, professional ethics, costs, one’s own clinical expertise, available resources, all of which are valued equally with research evidence. This generic clinical decision making model of EBP has been widely adopted in many health and social care professions and is having a major impact on both services and education. This presentation reviews the history and development of both EBP and ERSTs, and suggests why the RST approach is a far more limited model of practice than EBP. EBP is quite congruent with behavior analysis, and the parallels between the two fields will be illustrated.

About the Speaker

Bruce A. Thyer, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LCSW is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – D, and a professor of social work at Florida State University. He is a past-member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, and has been a member of ABAI-International since 1979. He has served on the Executive Committees of Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) of the American Psychological Association and of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts. Holding degrees in both social work and psychology, Dr. Thyer’s academic focus has been on promoting behavior analysis within the large field of social work. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and the Society for Social Work and Research. He has authored over 50 articles and chapters related to behavior analysis, and edited two books in our field, The Philosophical Legacy of Behaviorism (Kluwer, 1999), and Finding Solutions for Social Problems: Behavioral Strategies for Change (APA, 1996). His most recent books are Science and Pseudoscience in Social Work (Springer, 2015) and Program Evaluation: An Introduction to an Evidence-based Approach, 6th edition (Cengage, 2015).

Abstract

Parents and professionals, at times, support children and adults who are at risk of harm to themselves or others. The risk might be aggression toward the parent, professional or others that results in injuries (e.g., bruises, cuts, broken bones). It might be self-injury such as head-banging or eye-gouging. It might also be running into a crowded intersection. Many treatment models attempt to reduce the likelihood and level of risk of these types of situations, but there are times when such situations occur. Parents and professionals are hopefully trained to use crisis management procedures to reduce the current situation. However, how do parents and professionals decide which crisis management procedure is likely to reduce the risk? Which crisis management procedure will reduce the risk of harm to the individual and others? These are just a few questions related to crisis management procedures. The purpose of this presentation is to provide evidence from the research literature that has addressed these questions.

About the Panel

• Dave Manson, M.A., Ed.S. (Van Buren Intermediate School District)
• Shawn P. Quigley, Ph.D., BCBA-D (University of New Mexico Medical Group)
• Stacie Rulison, M.S., M.Ed., BCBA (Grand Valley State University and Parent of a Child with Autism)