Schedule
7:30am – 8:00am: Onsite Check-in & Registration
8:00am-12:00am: Speaker Sessions
12:00pm -1:30pm: Lunch on your own
1:30pm – 4:30pm: Speaker Sessions
4:30pm: Social in the hotel lounge (cash bar)
Speakers and Presentations
Dennis H. Reid, Ph.D., BCBA has over 35 years experience as a manager and clinician, and has consulted with human service agencies in the majority of states of the United States as well as Canada and New Zealand. He has published over 130 refereed journal articles focusing on applied behavior analysis and authored or co-authored eight 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 adults with autism and other severe disabilities in a supported work capacity for the last 16 years.
Evidence-Based Strategies for Promoting Work Quality and Enjoyment Among Human Service Staff
This presentation will summarize evidence-based strategies for promoting work quality and enjoyment among support staff in human service settings. Following a brief summary of what constitutes a scientific, evidence base for staff training and supervision procedures, a step-wise approach to training and supervising staff performance will be presented. Steps of the approach will then be described in detail including how to clearly specify performance expectations, train important work skills using performance- and competency-based procedures, actively support proficient staff performance, and correct nonproficient performance as necessary. Each key component of effectively working with staff will be discussed in light of ways to also promote staff enjoyment with their work as a means of motivating quality staff performance. Summaries of relevant behavior analytic research will likewise be provided to reflect the evidence base of recommended procedures.
Patrick McGreevy, Ph.D., BCBA-D received B.S. and M.A. degrees in Psychology and Special Education, respectively, from the University of Iowa. He was a special education teacher for eight years, working with children and young adults with moderatesevere developmental disabilities, including autism. He received the Ph.D. degree in Education from Kansas University under the guidance of Ogden R. Lindsley. Dr. McGreevy served as an assistant research professor in the Institute for Community Studies and the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and as an assistant professor in the Depart-ment of Special Education at Louisiana State University. He taught courses in applied behavior analysis, as well as, curriculum and instruction for students with moderate-severe disabilities. He is the author of Teaching and Learning in Plain English, an introduction to Precision Teaching, and the founder and first editor of the Journal of Precision Teaching. He is also the author of eight journal articles and a book chapter. His new assessment and curriculum for children and adults with developmental disabilities will be published in November, 2011. At his clinic in Winter Park, FL, he provides consultations for children and adults with developmental disabilities and hands-on training for their families. He and his associates also provide consultation and training for school districts, residential programs, and hospitals in the United States, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. They specialize in the treatment of children and adults with moderate-severe developmental disabilities, including autism, who exhibit aggressive behavior, self-injurious behavior, and/or limited communi-cation or language skills. Dr. McGreevy and his associates use only scientifically validated procedures from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), especially from B. F. Skinner’s analysis of Verbal Behavior, Behavior Therapy, and Direct Instruction. Since 2005, he has served as an assistant professor in the Behavior Analysis Program at the Florida Institute of Technology. Dr. McGreevy conducts workshops on the treatment of non-compliance and severe problem behavior and the teaching of communication skills and language using principles and procedures from ABA, especially from B. F. Skinner’s analysis of Verbal Behavior.
The Essential Eight: Reducing the Frequency of Problem Behavior in Individuals with Developmental Disabilities in the Context of Skill Acquisition
Rather than relying solely on functional assessments, Dr. McGreevy will describe eight skills
that are essential for effective daily living and how to manage problem behavior in the context of teaching these skills.
Merrill Winston Ph.D., BCBA is a Behavior Analyst who has worked in the field of Developmental Disabilities for over 20 years. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and majored in Psychology. It was at the University of Florida as an undergraduate that he first began his work with persons with developmental disabilities. He earned his Ph.D., in 1992 after which he moved back to Florida and worked for 9 years as the Senior Behavior Analyst at a large state-run residential facility for adults with developmental disabilities. Dr. Winston is the Director of Program Development at the Professional Crisis Management Association. He has been with the PCMA since 2002. Dr. Winston is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with specialties in Developmental Disabilities & Behavior Disorders, Crisis Management Instructor Trainer & Consultant who specializes in the analysis and treatment of severe behavior disorders with special populations. His range of treatment experience includes feeding disorders, self-injury, severe aggression, language acquisition, and skill acquisition problems. Dr. Winston is a popular speaker at conferences and conducts presentations on a wide variety of topics in behavior analysis including psychotropic medication usage, mental illness, autism, exceptional student education, assessment and treatment of behavior problems, IEP goal selection and measurement, and a variety of conceptual issues as they relate to conducting behavior.
Dr. Winston has worked in a variety of settings including private homes, group homes, large institutions, secured facilities, schools and day-treatment programs. He is an experienced expert witness and frequently consults with attorneys, parents and advocates of persons with disabilities. He currently spends at least one day a week as the Behavior Analysis Consultant for Palm Beach County Schools, which is the 11th largest school district in the nation. He sees children in special education classrooms throughout Palm Beach County’s 184 Schools. Like other PCMA professional staff Dr. Winston is an accomplished Martial Artist, giving him a thorough understanding of body mechanics and movement. He has worked “hands on” with a variety of individuals with severe aggression and self-injury and has worked side by side with direct care staff in a variety of settings.
Punishment is Not a Negative Procedure
Punishment is a very controversial topic in applied behavior analysis today. Because reinforcement, antecedent manipulations, and certain skill acquisition procedures are often described as “positive,” the implication is that punishment procedures must be “negative.” Some procedures – mostly those described as “positive” – are also characterized as “natural,” with the implication that they’re automatically good, or at least benign.Well, that’s not the case at all. In fact, there is no evidence that all reinforcement procedures are “positive” in the sense of always being pleasant and producing no ill effects. And it’s certainly not the case that all “positive” procedures are “natural,” or vice versa. Indeed, there are many naturally occurring consequences that most of us would not describe as pleasant or “positive.” The terms “positive,” “negative,” and “natural” in this context are more political in nature than scientific or logical, and carry with them more baggage than a fully loaded 747. Punishment has undeniably become ABA’s redheaded stepchild, and the use of punishment procedures typically invokes the wrath of the local behavioral program review committee and the “positively” enlightened crowd.
The following topics will be discussed: :
- Misconceptions about reinforcers and punishers
- Problems with punishers and reinforcers
- Punishment and coercion
- Punishment is all around us, necessary, and beneficial
- Problems in using “typical” punishers with atypical individuals
- Problems caused by aversives in general
- Benefits of learning to tolerate avervises
- Teaching people how to “handle” aversive
Alice Shillingsburg, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and is the Program Manager of the Language and Learning Clinic at the Marcus Autism Center-Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of Georgia and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the Doctoral level. Her clinical expertise includes developing language and behavioral programming to address a variety of behavioral difficulties and communication deficits associated with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Her current research area includes theoretical and practical applications of verbal behavior and the assessment and treatment of language skills particularly strategies to promote language acquisition in children with autism.
Manding for Information
Question asking behavior, or manding for information, is often deficient in children with autism and can prove challenging to teach. Studies have demonstrated that manipulation of the establishing operation (EO), prompts, prompt fading, and differential reinforcement are effective in teaching children with autism to ask a variety of “wh” questions such as “what,” “who,” and “where.” While many procedures have been shown to be effective, the research is limited regarding the types of questions taught. Additionally, little attention has been given to appropriately manipulate the presence and absence of relevant motivating operations and little is known about subsequent use of the information once given. This presentation will provide an overview of research targeting mands for information and will present current data sets aimed at teaching mands for information using “who,” “which,” and “how.” A discussion of the importance of contriving relevant motivating operations and methods to examine the use of the provided information will be presented.
James E. Carr, Ph.D., BCBA-D is a professor of psychology at Auburn University and a member of its applied behavior analysis graduate program. Dr. Carr also currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. His current professional interests include the behavioral treatment of autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities, verbal behavior, and practitioner training. He is currently an associate editor of the journals Behavior Analysis in Practice and The Behavior Analyst and is a past associate editor of Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. He received his Ph.D. in 1996 from Florida State University and previously served on the behavior analysis faculties at University of Nevada-Reno (1996-1999) and Western Michigan University (1999-2008).
The Role of Problem Solving in Teaching Complex Verbal Repertoires Abstract
Language training curricula for individuals with developmental disabilities often include programs that teach expressive or intraverbal categorization in which learner is taught to answer questions such as “What toys do you have at home?” Although such repertoires are undoubtedly important, some instructional approaches instill these repertoires as rote intraverbal chains. However, it is apparent that many sophisticated learners answer such categorical questions not through rote learning but by first engaging in other (often covert) problem solving responses. In this presentation, I will share the results of two investigations in which preschool-aged children were successfully taught verbal and visual imagining strategies to answer questions about category membership. The implications of these studies for teaching language to individuals with developmental disabilities will be discussed and some recommendations toward that end will be provided.
Learning objectives for participants:
Audience members will be able to:
- Briefly define the intraverbal relation.
- Briefly describe how learners have been taught to answer questions about category membership as intraverbals.
- Briefly explain Skinner’s analysis of problem solving.
- Briefly describe how problem solving can be used to teach children how to answer questions about category membership.
Kim D. Lucker-Greene, Ph.D., BCBA-D is currently the Director of Clinical Services for Northeast Florida and Senior Consultant for Behavior Management Consultants, Inc., whom she has been with since 1993. Dr. Lucker-Greene is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) with over 20 years experience designing behavioral programs for a variety of populations, including persons with emotional/ behavioral disorders, autism and other developmental disabilities. She received her graduate training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Florida State University, where she was awarded her Ph.D. in 2000. Dr. Lucker-Greene has created and presented a series of workshops on teaching language and behavioral assessment & intervention for the past 12 years. She has been a consultant to school districts, private families and state agencies in the state since 1993 and has built a team of 14 highly skilled behavioral consultants to provide services in the North Florida area. Dr. Lucker-Greene has served as an adjunct faculty member at University of North Florida in Jacksonville. She is currently the Treasurer for the First Coast Chapter of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis.
Treatment Integrity Issues Within Applied Settings and Ideas for Improvement
Treatment Integrity is the degree to which a independent variable (intervention) is implemented as intended. The demonstration of functional relationships between independent and dependent variables is central to the practice of Applied Behavior Analysis. This presentation will describe the complex, multidimensional construct of treatment integrity and discuss common problematic issues with obtaining high degrees of integrity across various applied settings, such as private homes, public & private schools and residential treatment facilities. A number of ideas for improving treatment integrity in these settings will be discussed and illustrated.