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Empowerment

Conversations in the community

MAROCA Presents Goal Models Inc.
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Adult Autism Services

Given the steady increase in autism prevalence beginning in the 1990s, more and more autistic individuals will come of each year in the future. This means a steadily increasing need for adult autism services and providers who are well versed in the unique needs that come with adulthood. Despite this growing need, the majority of these individuals and their families will face a “service cliff” as they make the transition into adulthood. For many, this “cliff” may not mean just an end to services and further progress. Research shows that the loss of services in adulthood often results in overall regression in skills, increased dependency on caregivers, and greater social isolation. This talk will provide an overview of statistics and service needs related to adult autism services. It will also explore ways other states have assessed the needs of their autistic adult populations and how those states applied their data toward creating initiatives and policy change. Finally, we’ll examine information available regarding the need for adult services in Alabama, existing initiatives, and how practitioners can get involved to help effect change.

Bidirectional Naming

The term bidirectional naming (BiN) has been used to describe the integration of listener and speaker behaviors that leads to speaking with understanding. In other words, it is the basic behavioral unit for the establishment of verbal behavior. In this talk, I will explain the importance of bidirectional naming, as well as how it is established during a typical child's development. Finally, with examples from the behavior analytic literature, I will suggest ways by which some of the skills that lead to the development of BiN can be targeted and prioritized during intervention with early learners diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities. The emphasis on teaching developmentally appropriate cumulative-hierarchical skills that allow children to learn from natural contingencies of reinforcement is the hallmark of the integrative approach to verbal behavior. - Learning Objectives - Participants will be able to define Bidirectional naming and differentiate it from tacts/naming - Participants will learn to describe all skills associated with the development of BiN - Participants will learn strategies to remedy failures to perform verbally (acquire BiN).

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Assessments

Treatment of Food Selectivity

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Food selectivity is a pervasive problem among children and adolescents, particularly with individuals on the autism spectrum. Gover et al. (2023) described a model for assessing and treating food selectivity that leveraged synthesized reinforcers, choice making opportunities, and shaping without escape extinction to increase consumption of novel foods. In this presentation, I will describe on-going research on extensions of this model to novel settings and populations. Modifications to the model will be described when conducting the process in preschools and general education settings, and when working with individuals without robust communication and adolescents. In addition, I will discuss how feeding interventions can incorporate trauma-informed care commitments to increase safety and feasibility. Implications and suggestions for practitioners looking to address food selectivity in applied settings will be discussed.

Learning Objectives
 

- An attendee should be able to describe a shaping process for treating food selectivity that is capable of promoting consumption of non-preferred foods without occasioning emotional responding or severe problem behavior.

- An attendee should be able to describe how to modify treatment procedures when working with individuals without strong language skills and with adolescents.

- An attendee should be able to describe how to incorporate trauma-informed care commitments into their interventions for food selectivity.

Communication Skills

Trauma Informed Care

Although the construct of trauma has largely eluded thorough behavior analysis, considerations surrounding trauma and trauma-informed care (TIC) have indubitably entered mainstream applied behavior analysis (ABA). In the absence of clear findings and guidance from a TIC research program, conversations surrounding the matter—which have permeated published literature, peer review, everyday practice interactions, and social media—have become polarizing. Some argue that ABA has not done enough to incorporate TIC, while others believe it is unnecessary or potentially harmful to the discipline. A third group remains skeptical, awaiting more data to reveal the utility (or lack thereof) of the TIC framework in ABA. This talk aims to bring clarity, vocabulary, and nuance to this timely discussion. I will begin by defining trauma from multiple levels of scientific understanding and providing a defensible behavior-analytic interpretation. Then, I will outline the core commitments of a TIC framework and describe how to incorporate them into ABA. Finally, I will address and respond to several concerns and questions that have arisen in the discourse surrounding trauma and TIC. The primary intention is to increase the audience's capacity and willingness to advocate for TIC in ABA, fostering better conversations and collaborations with colleagues, caregivers, and clients.

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Learning Objectives
 

- Define trauma and delineate behavioral and medical health risks associated with experiencing potentially traumatic events

 

- Outline the core commitments of trauma-informed care as they relate to ABA

 

- Articulate reasons why we have a responsibility to not contribute to trauma in the name of ABA

Severe Problem Behavior

Behavior analysts have been increasingly called upon to incorporate more compassion into their practice, which includes decision-making that minimizes client distress (e.g., LeBlanc et al., 2019; Taylor et al., 2019). Commitments associated with compassionate behavior analysis include: Prioritizing rapport and assent Teaching meaningful and empowering repertoires Minimizing behavioral escalation Such commitments often require that practitioners carefully weigh both short- and long-term treatment priorities (Rodriguez et al., 2023). However, striking an appropriate balance between these priorities can be challenging, particularly when addressing severe problem behavior. In this presentation, I will distinguish between behavior analytic treatment and management of severe problem behavior. I will also propose a general framework for compassionately teaching individuals at risk for severe problem behavior in applied settings.

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Learning Objectives
 

- Distinguish between behavior analytic treatment and management of severe problem behavior.

 

- Describe the benefits of a compassionate approach to severe problem behavior.

 

- Identify three strategies for compassionately teaching individuals at risk for severe problem behavior in applied settings.

Empowering Families

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Caregiver-Implemented Intervention

Caregiver-implemented approaches to autism intervention often rely on successful collaboration with families. This presentation explores essential strategies and best practices for practitioners to effectively engage and empower families in the process of implementing interventions with their autistic children in natural environments. The session will highlight the significance of building strong partnerships with families, offering practical guidance on how to navigate common challenges and involve families meaningfully throughout the intervention process.

Learning Objectives
 

- An attendee should be able to describe a shaping process for treating food selectivity that is capable of promoting consumption of non-preferred foods without occasioning emotional responding or severe problem behavior.

- An attendee should be able to describe how to modify treatment procedures when working with individuals without strong language skills and with adolescents.

- An attendee should be able to describe how to incorporate trauma-informed care commitments into their interventions for food selectivity.

Problem Solving -

Complex Behaviors

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Strengthening Gestures

The use of gestures in early child development is highly related to the development of language and communication. Research has repeatedly shown that children who are later diagnosed with autism use fewer gestures to point things out to others (i.e., show and share) and to request things from others (i.e., mand). Recent research has shown that these differences can be seen even before 12 months of age. Given the altogether lower levels of gestures observed in children with autism and the important role they play in learning language and other important social interaction skills, early intervention programs should focus on developing gestures as foundational to building robust communication repertoires. This presentation will provide an overview of how gestures are related to language development, how providers may inadvertently diminish gestures, how to implement procedures to strengthen and improve gestures, and how to capitalize on gestures as an active ingredient in quality mand training for children diagnosed with autism.

Learning Objectives
 

- Participants will describe how early gesture use is related to later language outcomes.

- Participants will describe how gesture use differs in early childhood development for children with and without autism.

 

- Participants will describe the importance of indicating responses in quality mand training.

Self-Injury Insights

More than three million individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the United States engage in self-injurious behavior (SIB; head banging, self-biting, striking one’s body). SIB causes injuries that vary from minor (e.g., superficial scratches) to very severe (e.g., concussions, bruising, lacerations, amputation of digits, tooth fractures, retinal detachment, broken bones). SIB is also extremely concerning because it is a major source of suffering for caregivers, can necessitate restrictive behavioral and pharmacological interventions, limits opportunities for educational and community inclusion, and is a costly strain on healthcare systems. In most cases, SIB is maintained by social consequences (e.g., caregiver attention). However, in approximately 25% of cases, SIB occurs independent of social contingencies. This class of behavior, referred to as automatically maintained SIB, can be highly resistant to reinforcement-based interventions. In the first part of this presentation, I will overview a subtyping model delineating treatment-resistant and non-treatment-resistant phenotypes of automatically maintained SIB. In the second part, I will discuss some analytic methods, along with illustrative data, that may inform applied research on variables contributing to treatment-resistant SIB.

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Learning Objectives
 

- At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to describe contrasting response dynamics observed in treatment-resistant vs. non-treatment-resistant self-injurious behavior (SIB)

 

- Understand how the study of behavioral dynamics compliments the analysis of treatment-resistant SIB and may provide insight into its causal and treatment-action pathways

 

- Use multiple analytic approaches to examine some temporal dynamics of behavior maintenance and change in research and practice

- Skill Acquisition Programs - Speakers will discuss and comment on their experience teaching skill acquisition programs to learners with autism in light of current trends in ABA to become more trauma-informed and assent-based

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