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Using Behavior Analysis to Help Military Service Members |
Monday, May 27, 2013 |
9:00 AM–9:50 AM |
102 D-E (Convention Center) |
Area: CBM |
Chair: Kent Corso (Give an Hour) |
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CANCELLED: ABA Helps Military Members Overcome the Challenges of Serving Our Country |
Domain: Service Delivery |
ABIGAIL B. CALKIN (Calkin Consulting Center) |
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Abstract: Veterans and active duty military personnel both deal with issues involving their time at war. While basic training does a masterful job at applying behavioral principles during training, this training has to do solely with readiness for following orders, a potential combat experience, giving orders, and other similar behaviors. Not covered is the myriad of behaviors and emotions that a soldier experiences when confronted with a difficult situation. Indeed, in any of the service branches, there are punishing consequences for not performing well, losing one's discipline, and for making errors. This paper presents some established practices from recent programs at military facilities. These practices assist military personnel in dealing with severe personal problems that arise during their service and may continue throughout their time in service, and after discharge or retirement. Behavior analysis has alternatives to offer that can assist the military in potentially decreasing the number of personnel needing extensive and continued behavioral health assistance. |
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Behavioral Resiliency Skills Improve the Functioning of Military Service Members and Veterans |
Domain: Service Delivery |
KENT CORSO (Give an Hour) |
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Abstract: Since 2001, military service members have endured multiple deployments, some lasting up to 24-months in duration. Combat experiences leave many service members living with an unregulated, highly active sympathetic nervous system. In some cases this not only degrades their job performance but many deployers experience sub-threshold or diagnosable sleeping problems, irritability, interpersonal conflicts, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Some deployers experience an exacerbation of these symptoms upon their return from battle, while others only show these symptoms upon their return. Moreover, advances in battlefield medicine, rapid transportation from the battlefield to medical facilities, and medical technology itself have created an unprecedented phenomenon whereby service members are surviving highly lethal combat situations. This paper highlights several evidence-based interventions and programs aimed at bolstering the self-regulation (resiliency) skills of service members before, during, and following deployments. These modalities have been delivered as clinical treatments to help remedy the clinical sequelae of war and combat. They have also been utilized for performance enhancement purposes to help our service members prevent clinical symptoms and to ensure they function at peak performance during and after deployment. |
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Promising Opportunities for Behavior Analysts to Treat the Military/Veteran Population |
Domain: Service Delivery |
KENT CORSO (Give an Hour) |
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Abstract: The year 2007 was the first time in history that the Department of Defense (DOD) published a policy authorizing reimbursement for board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs). This is known as the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) Program, which offers insurance coverage of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for children of active duty members who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Considering that there were 10,727 enrollees in ECHO in 2008 and the total enrollment in Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) and DOD exceeds 18 million beneficiaries, BCBAs are currently treating .059% of the military/veteran population through official and reimbursable means – and this only includes qualifying beneficiaries diagnosed with ASD. Yet the prevalence of depression, chronic pain, insomnia, suicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) match and in some cases exceeds civilian rates. Moreover, there is a myriad of empirical evidence supporting the treatment of these conditions with ABA and ABA-informed therapies. There is more that BCBAs can do to serve those who have served. This paper suggests explicit ways that BCBAs can reach the military veteran population to provide funded or pro bono ABA services. |
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