Association for Behavior Analysis International

Some individuals with autism tend to perseverate on circumscribed interests (CIs) in conversation, which may interfere with peer relations (Nadig, Lee, Singh, Bosshart, & Ozonoff, 2010). We evaluated the effects of a lag contingency on the prevalence of CI-related and CI-unrelated talk with two adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who readily sustained conversation with others, but perseverated on CIs. A functional analysis suggested that the participants verbal behavior was sensitive to a conversation-partners attention as a consequence. In baseline, the conversation partner provided attention at the end of each 10-s interval in which the participant directed conversation at the partner. In the Lag 1 condition, the conversation partner provided attention only at the end of intervals in which there was a change in topics from the previous interval (all CIs were counted as one topic), and in the Lag 2 condition, attention was provided only at the end of intervals in which the topic differed from the two previous intervals. Lag 1 produced increases in the percentage of intervals that included CI-unrelated talk for both participants. For one participant, Lag 1 also produced substantial decreases in CI-related talk, but Lag 2 did not produce further behavior change For the other participant, Lag 1 did not decrease CI-related talk substantially, but Lag 2 did. Although the lag contingencies successfully altered the prevalence of CI-related and unrelated talk, further research is needed to identify appropriate treatment goals with respect to variability and content.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental syndrome characterized by impaired social and executive functions. In working with individuals who have ASD, it is important to understand the neural networks and underlying cognitive impairments associated with the disorder. Asperger's Syndrome (AS),in particular, is characterized by severe and chronic impairments in social interactions, as well as restrictive and repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. Current neurobehavioral research suggests that brain abnormalities are the cause of Asperger's Syndrome, and advanced brain imaging techniques have revealed structural and functional differences in specific brain regions of these individuals. The ability to construct a theory of mind which involves mentalizing about oneself and others is deficient in AS. This deficiency is associated with the posterior brain regions involved in representational thinking, as well as prefrontal brain regions involved in application and execution of theory of mind. The purpose of this poster was to review recent neuroscience literature on the neurobehavioral components of Asperger's Syndrome. Collectively, results from experimental neuropsychology studies suggest that Asperger's Syndrome is characterized by larger than normal hippocampal and amygdala volumes, as well as a significantly smaller anterior cingulate cortex. It appears that AS is also characterized by deficiencies in the mirror neuron systems.

The use of Classwide Function-based Intervention Teams (CW-FIT), a behavioral classroom management program (Kamps & Wills, 2011) was implemented in an elementary resource room to increase the on-task behaviors of students diagnosed with autism. A single-subject, ABAB withdrawal design (Kennedy, 2005) was used to assess the components of CW-FIT, the effect of teacher praise statements and the students? academic progress during small group reading. The targeted students included two male students diagnosed with autism and one male student diagnosed with emotional disturbance. The students? on-task behaviors increased across all three participants to an average of 89.5%, 81%, and 86.% and the frequency of teacher praise statements increased to an average of 11 praise statements per small group session during intervention phases.

Despite the availability of several well known and established measures of social skill behavior, including the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2; Constantino & Gruber, 2012) and the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS; Elliott & Gresham, 2008), there remains limited data on similar measures, which may be more affordable and readily available to practitioners, such as the Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP; Bellini, 2006). The current study is a preliminary investigation into the clinic utility of the ASSP. Although additional data are currently being collected, data were collected during a four-week social skills clinic. The sample included five participants ranging in age from 8-13 years old, each with a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum or related disorder. The primary purpose of the study is to explore additional methods to more effectively measure social skills outcomes in school and clinic based settings. The researchers seek to provide evidence that the ASSP, which is a more easily accessible and affordable measure, provides valuable and observably validated outcome data. Pre- and post-ASSP data were compared to time-series observed social skills data across four weeks. These data will also be compared to pre- and post- SRS-2 data. References Bellini, S. (2006). The Autism Social Skills Profile, Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company. Constantino J., & Gruber, C.P. (2012). The social responsiveness scale, second edition (SRS-2) manual. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services. Gresham, F.M., & Elliott, S. N. (2008). Social Skills Improvement System: Rating Scales. Bloomington, MN: Pearson Assessments.

Families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience a high level of distress, parental stress, and various challenges during the service trajectory of their children (Rivard, Terroux, Parent-Boursier & Mercier, 2014; Ombudsman 2009). These challenges occur in the access and use of health care and educational services, especially during life-transitions events. Although these events are documented, little information is available on the perceived satisfaction of families regarding service trajectory. The aim of this study is to evaluate the perceived satisfaction of 200 families regarding the trajectory services received during different life-transition events of their children. This poster illustrates the results of the first objective of the study: determining the life-transition events most challenging throughout the service trajectory where needs are required according to families of children with ASD. In order to highlight the most difficult transitions, and to highlight the needs of the clientele, a qualitative analysis will be completed on the results of two focus groups of 8 to 10 parents of children with ADS living in the Montreal area.

Pica is a life-threatening behavior displayed by many individuals with developmental disabilities. This study was a systematic replication of the Piazza et al. (2002) study. In the current study, a functional analysis was done to demonstrate that the pica for allfour participants was maintained by automatic reinforcement. Following functional analyses of pica, response-effort manipulations were conducted in which the effort to obtain pica or alternative items was varied systematically similar to the Piazza study. However, the following limitations were addressed: 1) This study was conducted in the natural environment for each participant; 2) We equated the level of effort for the low effort conditions for the participants. Levels of pica were reduced relative to baseline when alternative items were available regardless of the effort required to obtain the pica related or alternative items. When effort to obtain alternative items were increased, pica increased in the low effort condition. In addition, increasing response effort for pica reduced pica behavior as compared to baseline. Also, pica was highest during low effort conditions when no alternative items were available. In conclusion, by keeping response effort levels for alternative items below that for pica items, results indicate clinically significant decreases in pica behavior.

Given the social skill deficit associated with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is no surprise there is no shortage of literature on various interventions targeting the skills. The current study analyzed the impact of various instructional activities used during a 4-week social skills group on the acquisition of social skills. An alternating treatment design was implemented across three social skills group with children ranging in age from 5 to 14 years old diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum or related disorder. Intervention aimed to increase the occurrence of several developmentally appropriate social skills. Intervention took place in a group setting for four hours a week, over four consecutive weeks. Students were separated into three social skills groups based on age. Social skill instruction was divided into four different methods of delivery: lesson, play, craft, and a team-based activity. A combined frequency count of target appropriate social behaviors was collected for each child across all three of the social skills groups. Data will be analyzed across behaviors, age groups, and type of intervention delivery method. Results and implications will be discussed.

This study compared the effectiveness of two teaching packages, one included forward chaining techniques, the other one included backward chaining techniques to teach children with autism under A-B-C-B-C design. Four teachers taught four preschool autistic children individually. During the baseline, teachers taught students to speak Chinese sentences in their own way without training. After training, teachers chose the teaching package to teach for ten sessions, and switch to another package to teach for ten sessions, then switch to the previous package, and switch to another package lastly. The results showed that all children improved their performance after the teachers got training. Different children acquired differently under different teaching packages.

Practitioners who work with children with autism (ASD) are often asked to compare the developmental levels of a child to those of typically developing children. The present research quantifies the nature of skill acquisition by typically developing children across 25 repertoires of the ABLLS-R. Data were collected by parents and professionals who have been trained in the administration of the ABLLS-R. Data are submitted at three-month intervals to track the specific changes in skills over the course of the children's development. Preliminary data for this research project are presented for 53 children (30 females & 23 males) ranging in age from 6 months to 72 months. Data are averaged for children between those ages at 3-month intervals. The data demonstrate that the ABLLS-R is able to quantify significant and consistent changes in the development of the skills as children's chronological age increases and demonstrate that typically developing children acquire most of the basic language and learning skills measured by the ABLLS-R by the time they are 3 to 4 years of age. These data can be used to identify specific delays in skills for children with autism at each age interval and identify developmentally appropriate treatment recommendations for those children.

,Participants included two male adolescents 18 years of age, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants were selected based upon age, diagnosis and the need to improve their activities of daily living skills. Participant observations were conducted in the home setting. Observations took place in the natural environment where the tasks would be performed. Baseline and maintenance phases occurred in the participants home environment. Three tasks were identified for each young adult through a collaborative process involving their parents. These tasks included skills that the young adults were not able to perform independently. Participantone continued to need prompts with vacuuming, cleaning and cooking. For participant two, the tasks identified were taking out the trash, opening the car door safely and cleaning up after a meal. The participants were selected with parent consent to participate in this study to increase their independence with their activities of daily living skills. All videos were created using the Apple iPod®. Three videos for each participant were created based on the targeted tasks. These videos were created from a "first-person" perspective. Through the eyes of the participants, the videos portrayed the arms and hands of the model performing the task (Bellini & Akullian, 2007). The entire task was filmed with a verbal description of each step as it was being performed. This study follows Kellems and Morningstar's (2012) multiple probe design across behaviors. For each participant, one task was acquired before the next task was introduced. When the young adult reached the criterion level on the first targeted behavior, the intervention was then introduced to the second target behavior while the third remained in baseline with data probes (p. 158). The dependent variable was the percentage of steps performed correctly (using a task analysis). The task analysis recorded each step that was performed correctly or incorrectly during each session (Kellems and Morningstar, 2012). This study replicated similar methods by Kellems and Morningstar (2012) in which baseline data were collected from all participants. The intervention was introduced for the first task once a stable baseline was established

Much of the current literature on social skills groups focuses on social skills curriculum, measuring percentage of social skills emitted, structuring social skills groups, and evaluating parent satisfaction. Social skills curriculum such as UCLAs PEER Program targets parent training and social skills development in adolescents diagnosed with autism (Laugenson, et al. 2012). Leaf et al. (2009) discusses the structuring of social skills groups and parent satisfaction. However, there is minimal literature out there regarding client satisfaction of social skills groups. This study focuses on one social skills group of participants, aged 13-17. Each participant was interviewed regarding their satisfaction level of the social skills group including satisfaction of activities presented, locations of the social skills group, how they felt about their fellow peers/participants in the group, and whether or not they would ask their parent/guardian to sign them up for the next social skills group which occurs in 6-week increments. Data from the satisfaction survey were used to structure future social skills groups to create a more motivating environment for participants and to work on retaining their attendance at future social skills groups.

This study investigated the developmental process of Severe Behavior Disorder (SBD) in the long term by analyzing changing condition of SBD of 47 people with intellectual disabilities. In Japan, individuals with SBD were defined using an administrative definition (Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare 1992) but now are using defined a psychiatric diagnose. The individual with SBD is required to have many support systems such as home help, residential care and medical care tohandle their severe behavioral problems which include severe self-injury, aggression, destruction, etc. We investigated retrospectively rated by their parents (a) Japanese form of SBD Rating Scale, which measures severity of behavior disorders on a 55-point scale, and (b) conditions of SBD at each stage of life from early childhood to adulthood. Results showed that the peak total score of SBD rating scale was at a period of adolescence when each subject attended junior high school or high school for special needs. Additionally, as a result of the analysis of each type of behavior disorder, the time of appearance and transition of seriousness were different among each subject. Especially, the issues with food, excretion, sleep pattern, hyperactivity and obsessive behavior tended to rise up to the surface before 3-years old, thus the appearance of these types of behavior disorders in early childhood can be predictive factors of more serious SBD in future. The need for preventive approach for children with a high risk of SBD, and intensive care for SBD in early adolescent by a multi-disciplinary team were suggested.

Behavioral practitioners consulting with schools are often called upon to complete functional behavior assessments (FBA) and to develop behavioral intervention plans based on these assessments. Traditionally, comprehensive FBAs are completed through the gathering of information in-vivo, predominately through interviews and direct observations within the school setting. This endeavor is often expensive and time-intensive; more so if the visits to the school setting require travel to distant locales. If the behaviors targeted for intervention occur only infrequently, the amount of observation required to conduct such assessments and the associated expense is further increased. This project will examine the utility of using Behavior Imaging(R) video recording via smartphone and remote for data collection by teachers- along with secure, web based viewing capabilities by practitioners. Behavior analysts will complete 8 FBAs utilizing this technology. The student participants will be ages 4-21 years, with autism or a similar developmental disability, who are exhibiting problem behavior in the school setting and are referred for a behavioral assessment. Data gathered during the FBA to form functional hypotheses will be shared in addition to the data regarding time (i.e., cost) savings associated with completing FBAs via video recording and review as compared to traditional, in-vivo methods.

Hyperlexia is a condition characterized by high levels of word-reading skills but global delays in verbal behavior. Approximatly 5-10% of the children diagnosed with ASD engage in hyperlexic behaviors. The present study investigated the use of textual prompts (color words) to teach a child with ASD and hyperlexia to tact colors. Probes were conducted for tacting color words and colors, then color words were written in the corresponding color construction paper while untrained colors where probed. The color words were systematically faded until the participant was responding to the colored construction paper alone. New colors were added sequentially in a multiple baseline across colors. The results showed that the participant learned all nine colors trained and tacting maintained when training was ended.

Functional behavior assessments (FBAs) are well established components of treatment in early intervention, school age, and adult services for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). By systematically determining the function of an individual with ASDs behavior, a treatment incorporating this knowledge has a significantly better likelihood of being effective. The FBA process has been incorporated into numerous state and organizational regulations and policies as an essential component of effective treatment. For most in the field, a primary source for information presenting best practices in the U. S. is the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA). In actual implementation of FBAs in schools and agencies serving children and adults with ASD, those implementing FBAs and utilizing the results in developing programming often rely on other sources of information. The quality of that information, then, becomes an important determinant of the effectiveness of the resulting programming. If the sources cited do not represent best practices, the FBA process may be less than optimal. The subsequent results, if unsuccessful, may be inaccurately attributed to limitations of FBAs and/or ABA as a treatment approach. We investigated journal sources other than JABA for the past five years to determine if information regarding best practices in conducting and utilizing FBAs for those with ASD are being published in that journal. We also conducted a descriptive analysis of the sources cited in these articles. Suggestions regarding additional areas for future research are also presented.

The effectiveness of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) with children with autism (ASD) is well documented, however there is a paucity of literature demonstrating the benefits of EIBI with children with other diagnoses, particularly other developmental and intellectual disabilities. This poster presents the case study of a young girl with Rett Syndrome (RS), whose ongoing behavioral treatment has been heavily informed by EIBI research conducted with children with ASD. Throughout the past five years, a comprehensive treatment package has addressed improving the girl's communication, learning-to-learn, play, independent daily living, and fine motor skills, and decreasing her challenging behavior. A selection of treatment results are presented, accompanied by an analysis of the benefits and difficulties of extending procedures designed for implementation with children with ASD to a child with RS. Emphasis is placed on the further development of a framework for the ethical extension of EIBI research and practice conducted with children with ASD to other low-incidence disability populations in an effort to increase the number of individuals benefitting from the abundance of research demonstrating the effectiveness of EIBI for children with ASD.

Pre-session pairing is procedure referenced by professional literature on the Verbal Behavior Approach to build rapport and increase compliance of children with autism. (e.g., Sundberg & Partington, 1998; Barbera & Rasmussen, 2007; McGreevy, 2009). The procedure involves the therapist delivering (i.e., pairing) free access to preferred items or activities with the sight or presence of the therapist. There is limited empirical evidence establishing specific pre-session pairing procedures as well as a scarcity of data demonstrating the effects on child behavior. The purpose of this case study was to assess participant preference for therapeutic conditions occurring immediately prior to discrete trial teaching (DTT). To evaluate the effects of antecedent manipulation of therapeutic conditions on preference for conditions, a concurrent chain protocol was used. The participant was presented with a link to three conditions: pre-session pairing with a therapist prior to DTT, free play alone prior to DTT, and DTT only. Secondary measures such as compliance and problem behavior were also measured. Baseline data showed variable rates of compliance during DTT. Data on allocation of responding to conditions and compliance with mastered instructions will be presented. Implications for future research will be discussed.

Every noun in Portuguese language is either masculine or feminine, therefore every word referring to that noun (e.g., adjective or pronoun) has to be coordinated with its gender. This can present a considerable challenge for children with autism. In this study, we tested the use of class-specific consequences during a categorization training to produce emergent, gender-related autoclitic verbal behavior and equivalence class formation. A Brazilian child with autism and limited verbal repertoire received categorization training through a table-task. The definite articles "O" and "A" (Group A), which specify feminine and masculine words in Portuguese, were attached to a small box and presented as conditional stimuli. The participant was taught to sort indefinite articles (Group B) and figures of common nouns (Groups C, D, E, and F) into the boxes with the correspondent article (Class 1 and 2). The AB, AC, AD, AE, and AF relations were trained. Tests documented the emergence of the BC and BD arbitrary conditional relations, verbal repertoire of tact and mand with autoclitic. Simple discrimination test indicated the emergency of two functional classes. Results suggest that the technology of stimulus class formation can be incorporated into the verbal repertoire educational curriculum for children with autism.

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have limited or absent speech and might therefore benefit from learning to use a speech-generating device (SGD). However, some children struggle to discriminate between multiple symbols in order to make a request. In this study an iPad-based SGD with embedded video and audio was used to teach discrimination to a child with ASD who had not previously demonstrated discrimination following standard instructional procedures. A teaching phase design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of symbols with embedded video and audio in combination with systematic instructional procedures for teaching discrimination. Results suggest that these procedures were effective in teaching the participant to discriminate between four symbols. This learning then generalised to two sets of four unfamiliar static symbols and a third set of 12 unfamiliar symbols. The results of this study suggest that the addition of video and audio to standard symbols on an SGD may facilitate discrimination for some children with ASD.

Criticisms of the verbal behavior approach to language acquisition therapy have often centered on the narrow and non-generalized repertoires produced by such trainings. In particular, the difficulty with which children acquire more complex language skills, such as those necessary to respond to non-polar interrogative questions, i.e. "Wh" questions, is an indication that the common methods used to teach these skills does not adequately convey the necessary relational or contextual functions required to form generalized responding. The present paper will review deficits in the general verbal behavior therapy approach to teaching "Wh" questions, provide a conceptualization of responding to such questions from a contextual behavioral approach, and provide a paradigm for teaching generalized responding to interrogative questions that involves the application of contextually controlled equivalence classes of noun-word and community associations (a series of programs described in PEAK). Related treatment data gathered while working with children diagnosed with ASD will be presented. Implications for future research and limitations of this approach will be discussed.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the PEAK Direct Training and Generalization modules. PEAK is an assessment and curriculum guide designed to evaluate language development in individuals with autism and other disabilities. The PEAK Direct Training assessment has been empirically supported as a valid and reliable assessment of the directly trained verbal repertoire of individuals with autism, and the PEAK Generalization module is designed to assess the emergence of a generalized verbal repertoire from directly trained skills. Seventy students from a Midwestern American school for individuals with autism participated in the study. The results of a Pearson correlation analysis suggested a strong correlation between the Direct Training and Generalization modules of the PEAK (r = .719, p < .001). In addition, visual analysis of this relationship suggest that a generalized verbal repertoire begins to emerge as directly trained skills are developed. The present study provides psychometric support for the PEAK Generalization assessment, as well as provides clinicians with recommendations for when to begin to incorporate the PEAK Generalization curriculum into their learner's educational programming.

Ideally, mands for help should occur only (a) after the individual has attempted the task and (b) if that attempt was unsuccessful. Three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were taught this conditional discrimination under incapable and capable trials across multiple tasks. During incapable trials, materials were manipulated such that the child could not independently complete the response. During capable trials, materials were manipulated such that the child could independently complete the response. To prevent the mand for help from coming under faulty stimulus control, materials and instructions were matched across incapable and capable trials and teaching occurred under contrived motivating operations Data were collected on attempts to complete the task and mands for help. During baseline, the percentage of trials with attempts was high across both capable and incapable trials but mands for help did not occur in either condition. During teaching for incapable trials,, some undesirable generalization of the help response to capable trials occurred for two participants. Prolonged exposure to the teaching procedure was sufficient to establish correct responding under both conditions. These findings suggest, when training a help response, it is important to consider the antecedent conditions under which the response should occur.

The authors supervised and trained pre-service teachers while conducting extended school year (ESY) services for pre-kindergarten and elementary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD). Each classroom was responsible for conducting communication assessments and developing interventions focused on increasing functional communication. One intervention, the picture exchange communication system (PECS) was taught to three pre-service teachers and staff who implemented PECS with four students who lacked functional communication skills. The teachers were trained, and then mentored as they implemented the appropriate level of PECS. A treatment fidelity checklist, adapted from Frost and Bondy (2002) was used during implementation to assess the pre-service teachers skills. Student progress through PECS was graphed using a single subject changing criterion design. Communication books were developed for the students to use in the home, school, and other settings.

Several studies have demonstrated the utility of preference assessments and choice on adaptive responding in persons with intellectual disabilities, but few have used response accuracy as the dependent measure. This study examined the effects of three conditions on accuracy of academic task performance in four children diagnosed with autism and/or other intellectual disabilities. The conditions included praise, delivery of the top ranked item identified prior to the analysis (Initial SPA), and delivery of the top ranked item identified prior to daily work sessions (Daily MSWO). The top ranked item from the Daily MSWO sessions differed from that of the Initial SPA for three participants. For two of these participants, the cumulative number of accurate responses in the Daily MSWO condition exceeded that of the Initial SPA condition. For the third participant, modifications to the prompting sequence appeared to lead to an increase in response accuracy for all conditions. The cumulative number of accurate responses was equivalent in the Daily MSWO and Initial SPA conditions for the final participant for whom the top ranked item did not change. The results suggest that frequent assessments may sometimes facilitate accurate responding when preferences vary.

A deficit in social-skills affects social interactions that remain problematic through life for individuals with autism. Researchers demonstrate that individuals with autism want friendships, however, fail to recognize and interpret social cues (Iovannone, et al., 2003). About 50% individuals with autism never receive a phone call, get invited out, and are not invited to social gatherings (Shattuck, et. al., 2011). Under current circumstances, individuals with autism hold the third lowest matriculation rate to college (NCES, 2012). Challenges with independent living and matriculation are associated with social-skill and communication challenges (Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Burtenshaw, & Hobson, 2007). The NLTS-2 wave 5, report that 79.9% of individuals with autism live with parents, 54% graduate high school, and 15% go on to post-secondary education. In addition, they hold the lowest wage at $6.90/hr. when compared to an average of $7.44/hr. for 10 other disability categories. Virtual environments hold the potential to reform this perilous trend (Gallup, 2014 under review). Considering the advancements in virtual environments there is a unique opportunity to interact (Craft, 2012). This poster presents results from a pilot study identifying successful relationship development and social-skills acquisition through virtual environments, identifying how to use immersive environments to support communication.

Multiple young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities receive services in early childhood special education settings. Promoting socially significant behaviors, especially social-communication skills, in early childhood classrooms may require use of systematic behavioral interventions. Early childhood special education teachers may have limited or no training implementing behavioral interventions during typical classroom activities. This poster will present sample graphs of three behavioral interventions implemented in preschool classrooms during one-to-one play-based sessions or small group instructional arrangements. Interventions include (a) increasing spontaneous requests during play with a classroom teacher, (b) increasing sharing items in a dyadic arrangement during work times, and (c) teaching children to identify peer preferences in a dyadic arrangement. Each procedure involved adult prompts for target behaviors, with plans to promote generalization across persons, settings, or materials. Implications for Board Certified Behavior Analysts will include recommendations for (a) selecting social-communication targets for children with ASD in preschool classrooms, (b) training or including teachers and staff during interventions, and (c) designing interventions that are appropriate for classroom settings.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an iPad-based video modeling plus video prompting package to teach conversational skills to students with autism. A single subject multiple baseline across four children with autism design was used. Two typically developing children were involved to fulfill the video modeling and video prompting roles. Videos were created of peer models answering questions and responding to comments in complete sentences. On the videos, the questions and comments were asked by actual teachers and the peer models answered and provided comments in complete sentences in order for the target children to observe and imitate. Data was collected during teacher led discussion in a variety of experimental phases (baseline, video modeling, video modeling plus video prompting 1, video modeling plus video prompting 2, video modeling plus video prompting 3). Results suggest that a video modeling plus video prompting package was partially effective to improve the conversational skills for the four children with autism. However, all four students required a modified intervention package in order to perform the desired conversational skills during group instruction. Finally, the teachers indicated positive perceptions of the intervention at the end of the study.

How easy is it to hangout these days? Using Google Hangouts, this National Institute of Health-funded research project offered education and support to parents with children, ages 4-8, who have an autism spectrum disorder. Autism Parent Training used Google Hangouts to join groups of five to seven parents with experienced parent educators to provide training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Acceptance Commitment Training (ACT). The ABA instruction focused on teaching Antecedent Behavior Consequences to help parents work with their children's challenging behavior and develop routines that support potty training, eating, sleeping and going out in the community. The ACT instruction focused on teaching mindful awareness and diffusion to reduce parental stress. Because existing services for children with autism and their families have not been able to keep up with the rapid increase in prevalence it is critical to think innovatively about how to create wide-reaching and cost-effective programs, including face-to-face online training programs for parents who lack access to services.

The use of regular past tense verbs were established in two children with autism. Using a multiple probe design a protocol was followed where a sufficient number of verbs were trained for generalization to occur. We defined generalization as correct use of three consecutive untrained verbs. In training, each verb was introduced separately and then in a mix with mastered verbs. The protocol was based on discrete trial teaching and a way of displaying trial by trial data, that both serves to monitor teaching and to report the results.

Although functional analysis (FA) is the only valid method that can show a causal relationship between an antecedent or consequent stimulus and a response (Asmus, Vollmer, & Borrero, 2002), it is rarely used to assess challenging behavior in school settings. Two potential reasons include the complexity of FA procedures (e.g., manipulating antecedent and consequent stimuli accurately) and time limitations. One variation of the FA that addresses these concerns is the trial-based FA. The present study used a multiple-baseline-across participants research design to assess the effects of training on school professionals correct implementation of all trial-based FA conditions. Results indicated that all 8 participants met the accuracy criterion with performance feedback following group training. During maintenance measures, 6 participants accurately conducted conditions.

As the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) climbs, there is a paralleled increase in the need to prepare educators in effective teaching strategies to support students with ASD, and a subsequent increase in attention to teacher preparation programs. For this study, the researchers sought to examine the effects of video modeling of pairing procedures on the fidelity of implementation of pairing procedures by pre-service educators in an undergraduate teacher preparation program. A critical focus of this study was the assessment of competencies prior to intervention during baseline phases for all three participants. Following intervention competencies were demonstrated at 100% for three successive sessions across all three participants. Video modeling was effective in building competency in the implementation of pairing skills for pre-service educators. This adds to the body of research that supports video modeling as evidence based practice for preparation of teachers to implement procedures for teaching students with autism.

Supervising the applied activates of behavior analyst in training is a vital aspect to the continued growth and effectiveness of behavior science. As the need for supervision continues to grow and in many locations the need exceeds the local resources some turn to distance based arrangements. This poster seeks to contribute to the resources available to supervisors and supervisees who find them selves not geographically contiguous. Specifically, components to supervision best practices are outlines along with how the use of technology enhanced observation and meeting software can produce better supervision outcomes than traditional face-to-face arrangements. Data collection strategies and examples of standardized measurement practices are offered.

Previous research has shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may perceive the world differently. We investigated whether participants with ASD demonstrate typical visual dominance when presented with an audio-visual event. The current experiments measure speeded detection and discrimination of auditory, visual and audiovisual targets presented as a stream of paired familiar objects and sounds in people with ASD and controls. We found that all participants were almost equally able to detect the presence of auditory, visual or bimodal targets. Participants with ASD demonstrated a preference of auditory stimuli compared to visual stimuli or rather, a reverse Colavita effect. This suggests an absence of the typical visual dominance and instead, auditory dominance. These findings indicate a difference in perceptual processing that may contribute to social communication impairments associated with ASD.

The epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has shown a significant increase over the past years (Newschaffer, et al., 2007). There is evidence that individuals diagnosed with autism exhibit histological changes in the hippocampus (Bauman & Kemper, 1994; Bailey et al, 1998; Kemper & Bauman, 1998). It was considered then that collaboration between neuroscientists and behavior analysts would be useful to add to the validation of the MIA mice as a model for autism. The Maternal Immune Activation project (MIA) was created to investigate the notion that the neuropathology of autism is caused at least in part by the brain's response to inflammation by providing a behavioral account of the most characteristic symptoms of autism. An experiment was conducted in order to compare social interaction behavior, learning and habituation between control and experimental mice and their relationship to deficits in these aspects as seen in individuals with Autism. Differences were found with respect to social behavior but results were not conclusive with respect to learning and habituation deficits. It is concluded that the different animal models of autism need to be tested using behavior analytical techniques to add to their validity.

A Two-Year MA Program in Autism and OBM