Association for Behavior Analysis International

Behavior analysts are expected to lead treatment teams by training and supporting staff. However, many behavior analysts were not formally trained for such leadership positions. In this talk, I will address some of the common barriers supervisors face in their leadership roles and provide practical tips for efficient, effective leadership and supervision of staff.

Board certified behavior analysts

Dr. Kazemi is a Professor at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) where she has developed and teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in behavior analysis for the past 10 years. She founded the Masters of Science Program in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2010 and has collaborated with the CSUN community to provide graduate students high quality supervision experiences. She currently has two different lines of research. Her applied research interests involve identification of efficient, effective strategies for practical training, supervision, and leadership. Her laboratory research involves leveraging technology (e.g., robotics, virtual or augmented reality) for efficient training and feedback using simulations. She is currently working on several nationwide large projects (e.g., with FEMA and NASA) with a focus on effective training and behavioral outcomes. She has received several mentorship awards including the ABAI Best Mentor Award, the Outstanding Faculty Award, the Outstanding Teaching Award, and the Outstanding Service Award.  She has published articles and book chapters on a variety of topics including training, staff turnover, and the use of technology in behavior analysis. She is the leading author of a handbook written for both supervisors and supervisees that is titled, Supervision and Practicum in Behavior Analysis: A Handbook for Supervisees.

There exists a continuous discussion on the role of research training for applied behavior analysis practitioners in their professional development (Critchfield, 2015). However, practitioners who work in applied settings often have limited access to research training and participation. This is especially the case for practitioners located in China. Isolating practitioners from research may lead to a lack of updated evidence on the intervention that practitioners expect to undertake and result in selecting an intervention that may be less effective (Kelly et al, 2015). Training practitioners to embed research in their intervention may lead to their increased awareness of research, critical analysis of existing studies, and empirical contribution to the behavioral literature. In this symposium, the presenters will discuss two studies using different research methodologies to demonstrate how to actively involve practitioners in China in rigorous applied research to help improving intervention efficacy for their clients with autism and solving clinically significant problems based on empirical evidence.

Graduates, researchers, and practitioners in the field of behavior analysis

Individuals with autism often have difficulties initiating and maintaining reciprocal conversations with others. Among the few studies that examined reciprocal conversations with children with autism, Koegel, Park, and Koegel (2014) proposed a reciprocal conversational framework that include the basic components that may facilitate continued conversational exchanges. In this study, we used an interdependent group contingency to improve reciprocal conversation responses of children with autism based on Koegel et al. framework. We paired the children with autism as conversational partners. Given that the interdependent group contingency may also promote cooperation and interaction between children (Smith et al. 2019), we further assessed children’s social preference through their choices between spending time with their peers or by themselves. In a multiple baseline design, we found that the group contingency immediately produced independent reciprocal conversation responses and increased preference for peers across all participants. In addition, the framework allowed children to sustain their conversation. Improvements were further maintained even after the group contingency was removed and novel peers were introduced. Practitioners in China implemented the study and participated in data collection. Verbal reports from the practitioners further indicate that they plan to include this intervention during their daily behavioral interventions.

Challenges in delayed recall of events and stimuli are common in individuals with autism (Naoi, Yokoyama, & Yamamoto, 2007). However, few studies have evaluated the interventions that can improve recall with children with autism. Previous studies have found that individuals who used a rehearsal strategy during the delay are more likely to recall past stimuli than those who do not rehearse the recall (e.g., Bebko, Rhee, Ncube, & Dahary, 2017). This study is to examine if teaching rehearsal strategy to children with autism and providing reinforcement for recall would improve their delayed recall. Children with autism will be randomly assigned into three groups: control, rehearsal, and rehearsal + reinforcement groups. Thus, we will also assess if reinforcement for the correct recalls is necessary to improve participants’ performance. Practitioners will participate in this study as instructors who will implement the procedure and collect data. In addition, they will also collect data on treatment fidelity and interobserver agreement of each other. We will discuss fostering the role of researcher-practitioner during this presentation. Data collection will start in November 2019 and be completed by January 2020.

Behavior analysts work in various roles with diverse responsibilities, each posing unique ethical quandaries. This symposium combines three presentations emphasizing issues that arise when finding and securing practicum sites for graduate students, common ethical issues that arise when supervising in the community, and how to develop ethical and effective school-based supervision programs. The first presentation will highlight challenges that university programs face when negotiating terms with a potential practicum placement. Examples of what some sites in a metropolitan area are asking for and strategies to navigate these negotiations in an ethical manner to the benefit of the placement, your students, and your university will be explored. The second presentation will examine supervision practices certified practitioners utilize when working in home-based programs and review common ethical issues resulting from inadequate supervision. Practical strategies for alleviating these issues and promoting the provision of adequate supervision will be shared. The last presentation will explore common ethical issues encountered by school-based behavior analysts providing supervision to individuals pursuing board certification and identify practical ways to address these issues without compromising their professional and ethical obligations.

This even would be targeting behavior analysts that are supervising people seeking their BCBA credential across settings.

Training caregivers to apply evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis is an essential component of professional work and a key component of effective services. Research over the last 30 years has demonstrated the effectiveness, efficiency and acceptability of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to teach skills, promote generalization of teaching skills and sometimes produce important changes in child behavior. As research in this area becomes more differentiated, one important aspect has been the application of BST to young children, including training family members and staff in integrated settings. This workshop will present three papers on applying BST to train parents of a child at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders via telehealth, training parents to teach joint attention skills to their children, and training special education teachers to improve the integrity of function-based interventions to increase child classroom engagement. These studies demonstrate that BST can readily be extended to working with caregivers of young children with disabilities, improve caregiver behavior and produce socially important changes in child behavior.

Masters and doctoral level practitioners; advanced graduate students; psychologists; service supervisors;

Children with developmental disabilities are at increased risk for social communication deficits, including early and pivotal social communication skills. One such skill, response to joint attention, is a behavioral cusp for later developing social communication and play. Joint attention is coordinated shared attention between two individuals and an object or event. The current study investigated the effects of a train-the-trainer approach where parents were trained to teach siblings to be proficient interventionists on the response to joint attention behavior of their siblings with developmental disabilities. Results indicate an increase in parent task fidelity following a modified behavior skills training procedure during home visits, as well as an increase in sibling task fidelity following parent training using a social narrative and prompting procedure. Target child data indicate an increase in level of response to joint attention behavior following parent training and parent training of sibling. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Special education teachers are often implementers of behavior intervention plans; however, a shortage of teachers in any field is only magnified in special education. Studies have looked at the use of behavior skills training (BST) in training teachers and caregivers in the intervention techniques prescribed for individuals and groups. This study extends research on teacher training using the BST model. This study was also designed to evaluate the relation between teacher integrity to a functional assessment-based interventions (FABI) suite of strategies and the effect on student on-task performance. The participants were a special education teacher and two elementary-aged students, each classified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The students engaged in off-task, often disruptive behavior while receiving special education services in a general education classroom. This study was conducted in three phases. Each phase consisted of BST to teach a subset of interventions. A single-subject changing criterion design was used to evaluate the effect of BST on teacher integrity and student performance. Results showed that BST improved teacher integrity through each phase and teacher integrity improved student on-task behavior. Limitations to this study will be discussed as well as directions for future research.

Alarmingly, nearly half of children with autism elope or bolt, and more than half of these children go missing for a concerning duration of time and/or enter into dangerous situations. Caregivers often do not feel prepared to address these serious concerns. This study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioural skills training (BST) for teaching caregivers how to also use BST in conjunction with a tactile prompt to teach their children with autism help-seeking behaviour. Participants included a total of six dyads, caregivers and their children with autism ages 5-10. We used a concurrent multiple baseline design across two dyads with three replications. The children’s safety responses were measured using a point system: (1) calling out for their caregiver in a louder than conversational voice, (2) locating a store employee, and (3) informing the employee that he/she was lost. Results indicate that four children met mastery criteria (a safety score of 3 across two consecutive trials), and the caregivers were able to successfully fade the tactile prompting device. Data collection with the final two dyads is currently in progress. This study contributes to the limited empirical research on caregiver training using BST to teach help-seeking behaviour to children with autism.

With the current high demand for BCBAs, we have also seen an increase in university programs offering applied behavior analysis (ABA) programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To ensure quality education and preparation for clinical services, program curriculums should be aligned with the theoretical background of ABA as well as best practices for training essential skills. This symposium will explore important aspects that should be considered when teaching and supervising undergraduate- and graduate-level students in ABA programs. First, Isvânia Alves will present the conclusions of a project that identified controversies and disagreements related to basic principles and concepts among behavior analytical textbooks and field experts. In addition, Isvânia a will present a decision-making model to assist in selecting objectives when teaching and providing supervision to undergraduate students. Next, Maegan Pisman will discuss potential strategies and guidelines for effective and ethical remote supervision for students in university practicum courses. Maegan will conclude with possible areas for research related to online teaching and supervision. Darlene Crone-Todd will serve as the discussant.

Instructors, BCBAs providing remote supervision, VCS of ABA programs

One of the roles a supervisor might have within applied behavior analysis regards the assurance that the decision-making process for interventions is conceptually sound. In the past few years our group has developed, implemented, evaluated, analyzed and redesigned a decision-making model aimed at content and behavioral objectives selection for teaching undergraduate students. In our last analysis-redesign iteration, we found inconsistencies, controversies or disagreements in regard to what defines some basic behavioral concepts and principles, such as environment, behavior, operant behavior, respondent behavior, antecedent, among others. Additionally, when we submitted these concepts and principles analysis to be reviewed by behavior analysts (i.e., content experts), the conceptual controversies appeared in some of the suggestions they made. The purpose of this paper is to present our decision-making model in its latest form, present and discuss a few of the controversies we found during our analysis, and highlight the importance of performing a concept or principle analysis when selecting content in areas in which conceptual disagreements might hinder or decelerate student learning and affect the decision-making process for interventions, if these disagreements are not explicit or discussed.

For the past thirty years Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) has been implemented in Norway and other European countries. In most countries it has been a challenge to deliver EIBI according to suggested minimum standards. The most common challenges have been to have properly trained staff implement the intervention, to get parents involved, and to provide intensive intervention (a minimum of 20 hours per week). As a result of this, outcomes have generally been moderate. However, outcomes of EIBI have been much better than “treatment as usual”. We will present two-year outcome data from a group of 30 children that were provided 10 hours a week and a group of 30 children that were provided 20 hours a week. We will also present data from another site were user satisfaction was evaluated in a reversal design across seven cases that received video-based supervision.

BCBAs, supervisors in EIBI programs.

We have developed a quality standard based on the logic of the Periodic Service Review to evaluate and improve quality of individual EIBI programs. The programs are provided through in the two largest cities in Norway, Bergen and Oslo. Based on the core elements of EIBI we have made a 36-item checklist that we consider to represent an optimal EIBI program. Some of the items are given a higher weight (such as intensity of intervention and therapist training). The standards have measurable targets (done/not done) for all involved parties (supervisors, therapists, parents, community staff). We report quality data from 60 individual programs collected over a two year period and discuss what we have found to be the most common challenges we face in providing EIBI of high quality.

We compared the use videoconference with on site supervision of EIBI cases in a reversal design. Supervision was provided either on site or using video conference every second week. Questionnaires were developed to evaluate to what degree videoconference influenced the perceived quality of supervision. The questionnaires consisted of 12 items that were scored on Likert scales and measured program supervision, registrations/data collection, preparedness, and technical quality. Both the supervisor and the supervisees evaluated their experiences across the supervision modes. We discuss our findings in terms of the perceived quality of supervision, potential for saving travel time saved and implications for caseload capacity.

Delivering effective ABA services requires caregivers to deliver interventions with sufficient integrity to result in socially meaningful changes in client behavior. Yet, many services often struggle to maintain the integrity of applied behavior analytic interventions in applied settings. Thus, practitioners must have behavioral technologies available to them to assess, and increase treatment integrity and evaluate interventions to do so. This symposium presents three papers addressing this important issue. These papers include a systematic review of training natural change agents implementing functional analytic procedures, a telehealth intervention error analysis and identify to remedy the implementation errors and an intervention study to improve treatment integrity during functional communication training

Advanced graduate students, Masters and Doctoral practitioners, research students, instructors and professors teaching ABA classes, and psychologists including school psychologists.

We present the effects of an Organizational Behavior Management approach to Teacher and Clinician training in school and clinic settings resulting in increased supervisor, teacher and clinician expertise and student and client learning. We analyze the organizational components, discuss relevant measures within the organizational matrix, and present meaningful client and staff outcomes using data-driven procedures and interlocking contingencies. The data show that the implementation of a systems approach to supervision was related to increases in academic literacy, communication and social skills for elementary and high school students’ diagnosed with autism and related communication disabilities as well as increases in the foundations of early language acquisition and social skills for pre-school children diagnosed with autism. Teachers and clinicians were trained through PSI modules providing in situ opportunities specifically related to the accurate implementation of programs, choice of strategies and tactics, program materials and selection of new objectives. TPRA (Teacher Performance Rate and Accuracy) observations were used to insure IOA (Interobserver Agreement), of the delivery of intact learn units and errorless implementation of VBD (Verbal Behavior Developmental) protocols.

Professionals in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis interested in an OBM approach to supervision as related to outcomes for staff and clients across all aspects of learning, Clinical Directors, Providers of Supervision for Schools and Clinics, School personnel involved in Teacher Training and Administration, Providers of Clinical Supervision and Management.

We tested the effects of Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) modules documenting increasing levels of verbal complexity for Mentors and Mentees and decreases in students’ learn units to criterion in two school parishes across eight school settings in Louisiana. One mentor, nine teachers and nine teaching staff who served students diagnosed with autism participated. The module components included Verbal Behavior about the Science (the vocabulary of the science), Contingency Shaped behaviors (in situ best practice) and Verbally Mediated Behaviors (review of published research studies and conceptual articles, research, and tactical and strategic analysis of instruction). The supervision was based on the CABAS® (Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling) model and provided yoked contingencies for the teaching staff, teachers and mentors through the completion of module components. The mentor modeled strategic questions as scientific tacts and intraverbals andprovided model answers to questions using a dynamic algorithm to address students’ instructional problems across communication, social and instructional objectives. The Decision Protocol (Greer, 2014) and TPRA’s (Teacher Performance Rate Accuracy observations, Ingham & Greer, 1992) were implemented to monitor progress for all participants across the completion of module components.

Supervision of trainees and service providers is crucial in guaranteeing that clients receive quality services that match their needs and respect their wishes and preferences. This presentation will focus on evidence-based strategies for the effective training and supervision of service providers across cultures. Emphasis will be put on the importance of protecting supervisee’s well-being as a means to achieve optimal outcomes for the clients they serve. An outline of how technology can enhance the process of disseminating our science internationally, in particular in countries where there is a dearth of behaviour analysts and training opportunities, will be offered.

Students and entry-level professionals who wish to improve their cultural competence and knowledge of how technology can improve client outcomes; clinicians and researchers with intermediate and advanced understanding of evidence-based practice who wish to increase their cultural awareness and knowledge of how technology can facilitate access to quality services.

Behavior Analysts face numerous challenges with respect to managing time in an effective and efficient manner. Some of the greatest challenges are faced when considering conducting assessments within the time constraints of insurance companies and providing training and ongoing supervision to Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs). In this symposium, data will be presented on an evaluation of indirect and direct assessment methods designed to increase the time efficiency of conducting comprehensive assessments. In addition, data will be presented on an evaluation of training methods designed to increase the time efficiency of training staff and ensuring effective ongoing supervision in clinical settings.

BCBAs and BCBA-Ds who provide direct supervision to RBTs and trainees

Recent research has highlighted the importance of compassion in ABA. A survey of parents of children with ASD indicated that parents often rated behavior analysts poorly on their demonstration of behaviors that indicate compassion and empathy for the family (Taylor et al., 2019). Further, LeBlanc and colleagues (2019) noted that the majority of surveyed behavior analysts had not received training on relationship-building skills during their graduate studies. As noted by these authors, compassion is required for behavior analysts working with families of individuals with autism and other related disabilities. Additionally, compassion is necessary when behavior analysts oversee direct care staff working with these same populations. Research indicates that staff members working in the field of ABA report high levels of burnout associated with variables that include the support they receive from supervisors (Gibson et al., 2009; Plantiveau et al., 2018). In the current symposium, we will first examine the qualities of exemplary behavior analysts, including those that center on compassion for others. We will then examine factors within ABA settings—such as supervision—that contribute to employee burnout, and consider steps behavior analysts can take in the workplace to promote compassion by altering supervisory practices and focusing on staff self-care.

The target audience is current board certified behavior analysts, including and especially those who are currently serving in supervisory roles.

Providers serving individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at high risk of experiencing burnout. Burnout is of serious concern as it negatively impacts one’s physical/psychological health and quality of services. Research has focused on individual predictors of burnout; however, understanding organizational causes may elucidate targets for prevention. Study 1 surveyed 149 individuals providing direct-care services to individuals with ASD to examine the relation between areas of work-life and burnout using standardized measures. We found a high percentage of providers experience burnout. Workload, reward, fairness, and values emerged as the best work-life predictors of burnout but predicted little variance in burnout, suggesting existing measures do not sufficiently capture organizational aspects that contribute to burnout. To better understand the unique experiences of this population, we recruited 11 providers to interview regarding experiences of burnout and organizational factors that affect burnout. Qualitative analysis revealed nine core themes. Workload, coordinating providers, supervision, and colleagues were frequently reported to contribute to burnout; whereas, social support from colleagues and supervision were frequently reported to mitigate burnout. Findings suggest areas for prevention within organizations servings individuals with ASD and avenues for better measuring relevant work-life factors.

Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders are enrolled in specialized private schools due to challenging behavior or specific learning difficulties. Job responsibilities in these settings can be stressful for staff employed in direct-care positions. Previous research suggests that high-quality supervisor relationships can moderate staff stress and burnout for direct-care staff in specialized applied behavior analysis schools (Gibson et al., 2009). Literature suggests that improving Board Certified Behavior Analysts’ (BCBA) use of corrective feedback, empathetic statements, and reinforcement could contribute to improved supervisory relationships. To date, no research has presented the use of behavioral skills training (BST) to teach BCBAs supervisory skills, and the current study sought to fill this gap in the research. Two BCBAs were taught two essential supervisory skills: corrective feedback and empathetic statements. Both participants mastered each skill following BST. A third skill, reinforcement, met mastery criteria for both participants before BST was implemented. Staff ratings of perceived supervisor support did not support the hypothesis that ratings would improve following BCBA mastery of target skills. Staff ratings were initially high during baseline and remained stable following BCBA training. The results of the present study suggest that behavioral skills training is an effective tool for teaching supervisory skills to BCBAs.

In past research, professionals working in ABA report high levels of burnout affected by factors such as supervisory and social support (Plantiveau et al., 2018) and employee exposure to aggressions (Hastings et al., 2000). Taylor and colleagues (2018) called for a focus on self-care for ABA professionals. We examined the effects of a short-term self-care program on 14 ABA staff members working with adolescents with ASD and severe challenging behavior. Three 1-hour trainings focused on teaching self-care skills such as focused breathing techniques and tips for healthy eating and sleep hygiene. Staff members practiced skills in session. All staff members completed the Professional Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Version 5 (ProQOL), a 30-item measure of burnout, compassion fatigue, and traumatic stress, before and after the program. Contrary to expectations, staff reported low levels of burnout prior to trainings, and reductions in burnout and related measures were not observed following training. However, 100% of staff reported that the program was relevant to their needs and that they planned to use the skills they had learned in the future. While these findings are preliminary, the importance and evaluation of future self-care programs with this population will be discussed.

Quality supervision is imperative to ensure consistent improvement in the services we provide, as well as guiding the development of the next generation of behavior analysts (BCBAs). The manner in which BCBAs provide supervision, to both students and technicians, is thought to be partly molded by their own experiences with their personal supervisors. As such, supervision styles are likely to be passed down to future generations of BCBAs. Being such a critical feature in one’s development as a BCBA, supervisors should be sensitive to the various contingencies surrounding their responsibilities. While there are an increasing number of resources available for supervisors, an often overlooked source of feedback is directly from those who BCBAs supervise. The purpose of this panel discussion is to review and respond to submissions provided by students, behavior technicians, and BCaBAs regarding their experiences with supervision. Furthermore, the panelists will discuss, as a group, potential solutions and/or changes that might improve the nature of supervision by BCBAs to further encourage the quality of this essential feature of our development as professionals and scientists.

Those who provide supervision to RBTs and BCaBAs.

As our professional numbers grow in size, it is imperative that we plan and support this growth and ask ourselves crucial questions pertaining to how to set up individuals and behavioral agencies for success. Specifically, what systems are necessary to be in place for all of these newly certified behavior analysts and registered behavior technicians? It’s a well-known fact that a large majority of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) have been certified for two years or less. This creates a pyramid effect with a smaller number of more experienced BCBAs supervising and supporting a greater number of BCBAs with less experience. This symposium will explore various topics pertaining to this question including: 1) A mentorship system that agencies can duplicate; 2) A system of reinforcement aimed at clincians who exceed expectations, thus reducing turn-over and increasing employee satisfaction; 3) Competency based systems for reviewing performance and aligning salaries and bonuses based on competency achievements, and 4) How each component listed above integrates together to create a behavior system. Keywords: Organizational Behavior Management, Behavior Systems Analysis, Supervision, Mentorship

BCBAs

The field of Applied Behavior Analysis has experienced tremendous growth since its inception. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, between the years 2016 and 2018, the total number of certified behavior analysts has increased by over 30%, and the total number of registered behavior technicians® has nearly doubled. An essential component for obtaining and maintaining these certifications include supervision hours. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board® has provided task lists regarding the items and topics required for adequate supervision; however, no components of cultural responsiveness and awareness are included. With the increase of behavior analysis within culturally diverse populations, it is imperative that our field develop new and innovative ways of including cultural competency into the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® and Registered Behavior Technician® supervision experience. Many behavior analysts have reported not receiving sufficient training within the areas of diversity and cultural responsiveness and feel unprepared to serve diverse clients and communities adequately. This workshop is designed to address the gap in formal training specific to the lack of diversity and cultural responsiveness across the supervision continuum.

Registered Behavior Technicians; Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts; Board Certified Behavior Analysts

Board Certified Behavior Analysts are credentialed through education, fieldwork, and an exam. The fieldwork portion is an opportunity to learn and utilize behavior analytic principles for future independent practice under the supervision of an already credentialed behavior analyst. Although fieldwork guidelines are provided by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, the implementation of the fieldwork varies across organizations and behavior analysts. The latitude of implementation within the fieldwork guidelines is helpful for implementing quality pre service training in various different contexts and to meet the needs of the trainee. The purpose of this symposium is to provide a review of different organizational practices to training pre service behavior analysts. Each presentation will provide an overview of a training practice that is applicable to the entire fieldwork requirements or to a specific portion. Attention is given to training professionalism as part of the fieldwork requirements. Each presentation will also provide barriers to implementation to provide attendees complete information for evaluating context fit within their organizations or individual supervision practices.

This symposium is for practitioners supervising pre-service behavior analysts. Additionally, individuals seeking certification may benefit from learning different approaches to supervision.

In the practice of ABA, the use of experimentation and hence, experimental analysis is often overlooked. Consequently, graduate students studying applied behavior analysis and working in applied settings have fewer opportunities to practice utilizing single subject/ single case designs during a supervised fieldwork experience. The implications for the practice of ABA are significant; less experimentation and experimental analysis results in clinical decisions that may incur more error and less effective treatments. This presentation overviews the use of behavioral skills training (BST) to teach graduate students the use of single-subject design for conducting experimental analyses. Two case examples conducted by graduate students are presented.

There are a number of applied studies demonstrating how to effectively supervise and teach clinical skills in autism service provision such as data collection, behavioral assessment, and intervention (e.g., behavioral skills training). However, there is a paucity of research on how to teach professional behavior such as communicating effectively to different audiences, establishing healthy boundaries, and prioritizing time-sensitive tasks. As professors and clinical supervisors in the area of autism spectrum disorder, we use principles of behavior analysis and applications from organizational behavior management to teach our supervisees clinical and professional skills. A panel of faculty from academic programs and directors from an autism service provider will discuss the following topics: (1) the critical skills and behaviors of supervisors and supervisees used to support professional behavior, (2) how applications from organizational behavior management can be used to establish effective supervisory systems and processes, and (3) how the panelists have established, evaluated, and maintained effective supervisory systems in their own organizations.

Practitioners in autism service provision, professors in academic settings, leaders of organizations providing autism services

This symposium presents three applications of the science of human behavior to the improvement of eating and health-related behaviors. First, a social media-based group contingency related to meal preparation will be discussed, followed by a conceptually-systematic model of how to use online video to change meal preparation behaviors. Finally, the presenters will demonstrate how supervisors can adapt the 5th edition BACB task list to help supervisees serve individuals with ineffective eating and activity repertoires.

The target audience for this event is advanced practitioners, supervisors, and teachers of behavior analysis.

The number of students enrolled in behavior analysis programs has been increasing exponentially over the past ten years. As part of the educational preparation for the BCBA exam and certification, these students must accrue supervised experiences in which they apply their classroom-based skills to real world behavior change. As previously noted (Luke, Carr, & Wilder, 2018), many instructors and students have mistakenly interpreted the supervised experience requirements to be specific to the field of Autism service provision. This paper presents a model of how supervision of fieldwork and concentrated fieldwork could include experiences that address problematic eating and activity-related health behaviors in neurotypical populations. The model is intended to assist supervisors of behavior analysis students by giving specific suggestions for how students could accrue supervised experience in this growing subspecialty (Behavior Analysis in Health and Fitness, 2019; Normand, Dallery, & Ong, 2015).

Students in graduate level training programs for behavior analysis may be required to serve in supervisory roles as soon as they graduate and become certified as BCBAs. To date, university that provide graduate level training programs in behavior analysis include limited opportunities for students to practice behaviors that are essential to building their supervisory skill set. These skills may include delivering effective feedback, assessing and monitoring supervisees’ progress, modeling effective professional, interpersonal and ethical behaviors, the ability to manage time effectively, plan a head and organize their own and their supervisees’ schedules to name a few. Students who graduate from programs for behavior analysis may find themselves overwhelmed by the workload and ill-equipped to handle the supervisory responsibilities that often are an integral part of becoming a BCBA. This panel seeks to provide behavior analysis graduate students and current supervisors in the field the opportunity to listen to experts share their experience and learn from them how they manage their time effectively while providing high quality supervision for a team of supervisees. The audience is invited to ask the panelists about their strategies and systems they have developed over the years to support their work as supervisors.

Graduate students in programs for behavior analysis and behavior analysts who serve as supervisors in the field

Behavior analysts work in diverse settings including clinics, centers, schools, hospitals, and other large, community-based "systems". Behavior analysts also work with a diverse population of clients (e.g., those with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, comorbid diagnoses) and employees (e.g., direct care staff, nurses, doctors, teachers, behavior technicians, behavior analysts, administrators). Providing high-quality orientation, onboarding, and training experiences to employees with diverse experience and education requires significant development, implementation, and evaluation of these "staff training" systems to ensure the best outcomes for clients and their staff. Using a behavioral systems approach, each of the authors in this symposium will describe the orientation, onboarding, and/or training systems within their large systems while discussing the evaluation required to further inform system development.

Behavior Analysts, Supervisors, Administrators

While much of the early research in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) focused on individuals with mental health disorders and individuals with developmental disabilities, more recent history in ABA with individuals with developmental disabilities has flourished while its active role with those with mental health diagnoses has diminished. Additionally, there is a proliferation of comorbid diagnosis of mental health conditions for individuals with developmental disabilities such as ASD. There is also a focus on utilizing psychotropic medication as either a primary or supplementary treatment component for behavioral excesses. The current paper describes an in-service staff training model aimed at orienting psychiatric nursing and support staff to the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, and how ABA can be an integral part of a multidisciplinary approach to assessment and treatment in an acute in-patient psychiatric unit for children and adolescents. Melding a psychiatric nursing model aimed at both acute behavioral stabilization and medication assessment and management with a functional behavioral approach and the resulting barriers to integration will be discussed.

First impressions and experiences are everything to BCBAs, and their experience starts when they sign that first contract at a fieldwork or practicum site. When BACB students look for places of both current and future employment, it begins with their practicums and independent fieldwork experience outcomes, which ultimately shape them as an analyst. The response cost (both physical and financial) on a company of taking a student in and training them is high. When those students leave for employment elsewhere once they reach that pivotal point of credentialing, the reinforcement of taking in students is diminished across the company and the supervising BCBA. So, how do we get them to stay? If students feel supported, engaged, challenged academically and practically, and that they have the opportunity to flourish during their student experiences, they are more likely to stay and begin their analytic career at the sites that they do their fieldwork hours. We seek to discuss our current mentor program, both content and structure, and to assess its ability to produce competent, critical thinking, driven, and ethical future BCBAs, and the rate at which those BCBAs ultimately remain to begin employment with our company.

This event targets BCBAs who supervise or are interested in becoming supervisors.

Behavior analysis can bring together multidisciplinary teams responsible for effective programming for diverse clients with concurrent mental health and medical diagnoses. Even so, the early experiences of many ABA program participants and supervisees are characterized by exposure to only a small slice of the many client populations who could benefit from ABA. This panel assembles professionals, professors, and practitioners spanning community practice, medical and university environments to address audience questions on the intersection between behavior analysis and treatment of behavior related to mental health. Discussion points will include answers to recent questions posed by community members and students to university professors and those disseminating behavior analysis on social media, including: What ethical considerations are involved as I treat behavior in a person with concurrent mental health diagnoses? How do we form effective collaborations in mental health and medical hospital settings? How does behavior analysis look in an interdisciplinary environment, and how can I expand my boundaries of competence related to more diverse settings?

Intermediate skill behavior analysis level

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1 in 160 (0.6%) children around the world has Autism. Based upon prevalence rates published by a small number of countries around the world, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the autism prevalence rate for international markets may range from 1% to 2%. Applying the conservative WHO estimate of 1 in 160 to the 2.2 Billion children in the world (per Unicef), there are nearly 14 million children in the world with autism. Adding adolescents and adults to that figure may be as high as 20 to 30 million people in the world living with autism. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the globally agreed-upon gold standard for autism intervention. There are less than 40,000 Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), who are experts in implementing behavior analysis in applied settings in the world. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), the international credentialing body that governs practitioners of Applied Behavior Analysis -- BCBAs (including BCBA-D and BCaBA) and RBTs -- less than 10% of BCBAs (et al.) practice outside the U.S. The current reality is that there are less than 4,000 BCBAs available to serve the needs of nearly 18 to 19 million people with autism living outside the United States. Faced with these seemingly insurmountable numbers, it would be very easy for international BCBAs to throw treatment integrity out the window. However, a great majority of international BCBAs are committed to preserving the integrity and efficacy of ABA services. International BCBAs with a dual objective of maintaining treatment integrity while helping the masses are faced with a herculean task, some of which can be tackled with a scalable Global Supervision Framework. During this panel discussion, we will introduce the Global Supervision Framework, the foundation of which relies on a group supervision model designed to maximize existing resources to scale while maintaining treatment integrity. The panel, comprised of BCBAs whose primary practice is located in India; a BCBA who builds sustainable clinical capacity with fifteen pre-existing centres in thirteen different countries as well as two international verified course sequences;; and a faculty member whose primary body of work includes providing support to BCBA practitioners who support individuals with autism across the lifespan. As part of the discussion, we will present results of a research study conducted in partnership with Stepping Stones Center and Bingham University on the positive impacts of systematically incorporating structured journal assignments (i.e. Journal Club) in group supervision settings with behavior technicians / RBTs as a means to increase clinical competency. We will close the discussion by presenting examples of group supervision models with demonstrated efficacy in center-based (in-person) and remote (telehealth) settings. Upon the conclusion of this panel discussion, learners will be able to: (1) Explain the demand for ABA services in international markets; (2) Discuss 3 to 5 key challenges to maintaining treatment integrity when providing ABA services in international markets; (3) Discuss 3 to 5 key barriers to providing effective supervision in international markets; (4) Explain the Global Supervision Framework; (5) Discuss the benefits of incorporating a Journal Club to group supervision; (6) Become familiar with effective group supervision models used in international markets for both in-person supervision and telehealth supervision.

BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D

Organizational behavior management research has collectively documented that feedback is critical to creating behavior change in staff performance that drives organizational effectiveness (Daniels & Daniels, 2017). Moreover, self-management strategies help structure the work environment, increase self-motivation, and facilitate behaviors that contribute to the achievement of performance standards (Breevaart, Bakker, & Damerouti 2014). Furthermore, an emphasis on improving staff performance may contribute to their overall satisfaction, which is critical, as the effects of staff turnover include variability and decreased consistency for the consumers, perceived threats to company culture, and the financial costs inherent in recruiting and replacing lost staff. Fortunately, previous research has reported that satisfaction with training, supervision, and pay predicted the employees’ intent to turnover (Kazemi & colleagues, 2015). This symposium presents recent research related to the use of organizational behavior management within ABA-based agencies in an effort to improve their performance and satisfaction. The first paper analyzes the effects of a performance development system on the acquisition of direct intervention staff goals using a multiple baseline across behaviors design. The second paper analyzes the effects of a self-management intervention utilizing rules and self-monitoring on work-related organizational and planning skills using a multiple baseline across behaviors design. The third paper analyzes the effects of an intervention on self-reported staff satisfaction, relative to baseline reports, using a multiple baseline across service locations, within the same organization, design that additionally differentiates mediating variables (e.g., employee position and rank, weekly supervision, goal setting).

Individuals working in community-based ABA-agencies who provide supervision to direct intervention service delivery staff, as well as all direct service delivery staff themselves.

Organizational behavior management research has collectively documented that feedback is critical for creating behavior change in staff performance that drives organizational effectiveness (Daniels & Daniels, 2017). However, often feedback is dictated, rather than collaboratively determined. Additionally, direct intervention staff performance is critical to maximizing the quality of services provided. Typically, the more the intervention implementation integrity, the more effective and efficient overall outcomes are likely to be. As such, exceptional supervision entails the application of performance development plans (PDPs) strategically designed to collaboratively (i.e., supervising BCBA and RBT together) identify performance strengths, improvement goals, and current progress, across each supervisory session. A concurrent multiple baseline across behaviors design is being utilized to evaluate the effects of individualized PDPs on the acquisition of direct intervention staff goals. Current data represent baseline performance across six goals, with the initiation of intervention for the first four. Given the significant change in level across goals, data thus far indicates that the PDP effectively increased staff acquisition of performance improvement comparative to baseline. Future data will be collected to determine if intervention continues to yield such promising acquisition via stability across active goals and consistent change in level, increasing trend, and limited variability across novel goals to be introduced. Moreover, two additional goals have been generated, are currently in the baseline phase, may soon be introduced. Finally, any mastered goals are to be monitored in a maintenance phase to follow the PDP intervention.

Employee turnover has many side effects within a service organization. Some likely effects of turnover include variability and decreased consistency for the consumers, perceived threats to company culture and the financial costs inherent in recruiting and training replacements. In the presence of such effects, examination of the factors that decrease employee turnover is an important investigation. It is a logical extension that highly satisfied employees remain and thus organizations with high levels of reported satisfaction are likely organizations with decreased levels of employee turnover. Previous research has reported that satisfaction with training, supervision and pay predicted the employees’ intent to turnover (Kazemi & colleagues, 2015). This presentation will discuss the results of employee reported satisfaction on the aforementioned variables, measured throughout implementation of specific interventions aimed to increase satisfaction. Data were collected on satisfaction throughout baseline and intervention phases and intervention was evaluated with the use of a multiple baseline across service locations within the same organization. Our data will be discussed in the presence of observed trends and position specific variables. For example, this investigation highlighted the need to separate out the data based on clinical position as the highest dissatisfaction was reported by those in the behavior interventionist (BI) position and the highest satisfaction was reported by more senior team members. These results will be discussed in detail while discussing other data that were collected on other measures of interest, such as weekly supervision and goal setting. Future directions for those examining employee satisfaction will also be detailed.

The relationship between a supervisor and supervisee is complex and dynamic and plays an important role in the training of behavior analysts. Supervision provides students with the opportunity to develop their skills as a behavior analyst with the support of someone with experience and expertise. While the supervision relationship is intended to be one of support and guidance, the imbalance in knowledge and experience can create a power differential between the supervisor and supervisee. This power imbalance can lead to an inauthentic relationship and the supervisee disregarding supervisor feedback. In an attempt to address these potential issues within the supervision relationship, supervisors can create a flexible context for supervision by making space for effective dialogue using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT) approaches. By noticing and allowing space for the differences, biases, and experiences that exist between the supervisor and supervisee, the supervisor can foster a bidirectional learning experience which allows the supervisor and supervisee to learn from one another. The panelists in this talk will speak to their supervision experiences and discuss how they have been able to integrate ACT and RFT approaches within supervision. Speakers will also answer questions about how supervisors can begin integrating these approaches in their own supervision.

Graduate students, BCBAs, BCaBAs

Building and maintaining an ethical training company or training department is paramount to the effectiveness and success of any Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) practice. Trainers are responsible for training staff to fluency and mastery and ensuring readiness to work in the field. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring generalization of such skills in the natural environment and maintaining skills repertoires. In this talk, we will discuss the development and growth of a train the trainer program, best training practices such as Behavioral Skills Training (BST), Precision Teaching, acoustical guidance (clicker training), and digital technologies to train and supervise, trainers and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) staff.

Behavior analysts conducting supervision of applied behavior analysis services and staff training.

The talk will cover training and supervision in an online platform and in-person environments. It will include instructional design segment where attendees will learn how to create an evidenced-based training program and supervise staff utilizing a unique blend of Behavioral Skills Training, Precision Teaching, and digital technology.