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Functional Analysis and Intervention in Mainstream Schools: What Lessons do we Still Need to Learn? |
| Saturday, May 23, 2015 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| Lila Cockrell Theatre (CC) |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Jennifer L. Austin, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Cynthia M. Anderson (Appalachian State University) |
| JENNIFER L. AUSTIN (University of South Wales) |
 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 United States and the United Kingdom, focusing primarily on those in disadvantaged communities. Dr. Austin received her Ph.D. 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 the undergraduate and postgraduate programs in behavior analysis. Before moving to the United Kingdom, Dr. Austin served on the 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: Challenging behavior continues to plague both primary and secondary schools, despite a raft of educational and governmental policies to tackle it. The need for practical, relevant, and evidence-based strategies for analyzing and treating these behaviors has never been more pressing than it is today. Behavior analysis certainly has much to offer with regard to helping schools solve problems and achieve the goals set for both students and teachers. However, our literature has tended to focus less on applications of our science to typically developing children and adolescents, so there is still much we don't know about the nuances of working with these populations. This presentation will address some of the challenges associated with applying functional analysis and intervention strategies in mainstream classrooms, as well as delineating some possible solutions derived from both research and clinical practice. Further, it will suggest some research questions that may be important if behavior analysis is to fulfill its promise to mainstream students, their parents, and their teachers. |
| Keyword(s): function-based intervention, functional analysis, schools |
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