Practitioners Of Behavior Analysis Research Articles

Book review of Applied Behavior Analysis Advanced Guidebook: A Manual for Professional Practice (2nd edition)

AbstractThe second edition of Applied Behavior Analysis Advanced Guidebook: A Manual for Professional Practice (Luiselli, 2023) covers 17 chapters on topics that are relevant to applied behavior analysis practitioners. In this review, we discuss the purpose and intended audience of the Guidebook, briefly summarize the contents of the Guidebook, and critically evaluate the contents with respect to breadth and depth, audience fit, organization, and cohesion. In addition, we discuss emerging areas that are highlighted in the Guidebook (i.e., technology and telehealth, diversity and multiculturism, and practice‐oriented research).

Recommendations for Working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families: A Report from the Field.

Given the persistent shift in racial and ethnic demographics in the United States, board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) will increasingly serve culturally and linguistically diverse families. There has been a recent increase in published resources to help behavior analysis practitioners navigate working with diverse populations. The purpose of this article is to add to these resources and demonstrate how these recommendations can be put into action. We outline five recommendations for working with culturally and linguistically diverse families in the context of a small company that has incorporated these practices in their own work focused on serving a large percentage of immigrant families.

Autistic experiences of applied behavior analysis.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability affecting individuals across their entire lifespan. Autistic individuals have differences from nonautistic people (sometimes called allistic or neurotypical people) in social skills, communication, and atypical interests and/or repetitive behaviors. Applied behavior analysis is one of the first and most common interventions recommended for autistic children. However, autistic individuals argue that applied behavior analysis damages their mental health and treats them as though they are a problem to be fixed. This study examined the experiences of seven autistic individuals who received applied behavior analysis interventions as children to understand what autistic adults think about their applied behavior analysis interventions, how they feel about the applied behavior analysis interventions they received, and what recommendations autistic adults have for the future of applied behavior analysis. The findings include: Autistic adults remember traumatic events from applied behavior analysis, do not believe that they should be made to behave like their peers, gained some benefits but suffered significant negative long-term consequences, believe that applied behavior analysis is an unethical intervention, and recommend that applied behavior analysis practitioners listen to autistic people and consider using interventions in place of applied behavior analysis.

Black Caregivers' Perspectives on Racism in ASD Services: Toward Culturally Responsive ABA Practice.

Significant racial and ethnic disparities in health care and service access exist. In the present article, we reviewed qualitative studies investigating the racism-related experiences of Black caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the U.S. health care system. Specifically, we examined institutional racism (i.e., systemic racism) and individual racism directed toward Black families when they seek diagnoses and services for their children with ASD. Additionally, we summarized culturally responsive and context-specific practice guidelines to work collaboratively with Black caregivers of children with ASD for applied behavior analysis practitioners.

A Preliminary Analysis of the Effects of Clicker Training and Verbal Instructions on the Acquisition of Relationship-Building Skills in Two Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners.

Recent research has emphasized the need for training and competency beyond the standard technical skills acquired by applied behavior analysis (ABA) practitioners, including essential relationship-building and compassionate care skills (Taylor et al., 2019). Clicker training is a well-established behavior-analytic method for improving performance via immediate feedback in the form of an audible "click." The effectiveness of clicker training has not yet been evaluated as a technique for shaping complex clinical repertoires. This study evaluated the effects of verbal instructions, clicker training, and role-play on the acquisition of therapeutic relationship skills in ABA practitioners. Data were obtained as part of a training program conducted within an ABA agency, and the acquisition of target skills was evaluated using a multiple-baseline design across behaviors for two participants. During baseline, participants rarely demonstrated target skills. During training, the procedure resulted in increased engagement in all three target skills for both participants. Skill generalization with respect to untrained and novel scenarios was observed but at levels below mastery. Findings have potential implications for trainers and supervisors seeking efficient, nonintrusive, socially acceptable methods of improving practitioner performance.

Understanding and addressing pseudoscientific practices in the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders: Considerations for applied behavior analysis practitioners

AbstractPseudoscientific practices are commonly used and promoted in the field of developmental disabilities. Behavior analysts should anticipate encountering such treatments in practice and understand their ethical obligations with regard to these practices. Thoughts on why pseudoscientific practices are frequently sought are presented for context in understanding this complex issue. This discussion will serve to prepare behavior analysts for how to address situations in which clients may ask behavior analysts to use pseudoscientific practices. Additionally, this discussion covers arguments for the dangers of using pseudoscientific practices, a guide to resources for information on evidence‐based practice and ethics, and ideas on how to handle a situation in which a parent or caregiver asks the behavior analyst to integrate a pseudoscientific approach into the treatment of a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder.

A Review of Remote Fieldwork Supervision for BCBA® Trainees by Lisa N. Britton and Matthew J. Cicoria.

In this article we review Britton and Cicoria's (2019) Remote Fieldwork Supervision for BCBA® Trainees (Remote Fieldwork Supervision), published by Academic Press. We describe the key features of Remote Fieldwork Supervision and then provide a brief overview and descriptive review of each chapter and its content. Where appropriate, we also provide our critical analysis of the book's content. We conclude with the positive recommendation that practitioners of behavior analysis and students who engage (or plan to engage) in remote supervision incorporate technology into their everyday supervisory practice, as well as that those who are interested in learning more about supervision should consider reading this book.

Translations in Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing: Autoshaping of Learner Vocalizations.

Stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) is a procedure used by behavior analysis practitioners that capitalizes on respondent conditioning processes to elicit vocalizations. These procedures usually are implemented only after other, more customary methods (e.g., standard echoic training via modeling) have been exhausted. Unfortunately, SSP itself has mixed research support, probably because certain as-yet-unidentified procedural variations are more effective than others. Even when SSP produces (or increases) vocalizations, its effects can be short-lived. Although specific features of SSP differ across published accounts, fundamental characteristics include presentation of a vocal stimulus proximal with presentation of a preferred item. In the present article, we draw parallels between SSP procedures and autoshaping, review factors shown to affect autoshaping, and interpret autoshaping research for suggested SSP tests and applications. We then call for extended use and reporting of SSP in behavior-analytic treatments. Finally, three bridges created by this article are identified: basic-applied, respondent-operant, and behavior analysis with other sciences.

Correction to: Behavioral Artistry: Examining the Relationship Between the Interpersonal Skills and Effective Practice Repertoires of Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners

The article Behavioral Artistry: Examining the Relationship Between the Interpersonal Skills and Effective Practice Repertoires of Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners, written by Kevin Callahan, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on August 29, 2019 without open access. With the author(s)' decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on August, 2019 to © The Author(s) 2019 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Behavioral Artistry: Examining the Relationship Between the Interpersonal Skills and Effective Practice Repertoires of Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners

This study investigated interpersonal skills associated with the concept of behavioral artistry (BA), a repertoire of practitioner behaviors including care, attentiveness, and creativity, among others, associated with the effective delivery of applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment. Survey results indicated parents of children with autism preferred BA descriptors for ABA therapists over non-BA descriptors. A separate survey of 212 university students on a standardized personality assessment revealed students majoring and/or working in the field of ABA had lower levels of BA than those in other human services professions. Practitioners with higher BA scores were observed and rated more positively in their delivery of ABA for children with autism. Implications for training/supervising effective ABA practitioners within a BA model are discussed.

Internalities and Their Applicability for Organizational Practices

ABSTRACTThe economic concept of externalities was introduced to the field of behavior analysis (BA) by Biglan (2009). Since then, practitioners of BA have been able to apply this economic concept to behavior analytic theory, and create strategies to improve organizational practices. A similar economic concept to the externality is the internality, a cost imposed on an individual that is not taken into account when the person consumes the good or service. This paper will introduce the concept of internalities and discuss how it can be integrated into existing behavior analytic literature. Practices that produce “organizational internalities” will be analyzed using meta and macrocontingencies, with a discussion on how positive internalities can be promoted by an organization’s leadership. It will conclude with a discussion on how strategies regarding Organizational Behavior Management and Behavioral Systems Analysis can use the concept of organizational internalities to mitigate the negative outcomes of internalities, while simultaneously promoting positive outcomes of internalities.

Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioner Perceptions: Influence of Occupational Therapy Training in Sensory Processing

Abstract Date Presented 4/8/2016 With increasing demands for cohesive education plans, occupational therapy practitioners must collaborate with applied behavior analysis (ABA) practitioners for effective teaming and interdisciplinary understanding within schools. Training in sensory processing has the potential to enhance the perceptions and practices of ABA practitioners. Primary Author and Speaker: Amy Burton Contributing Author: Tara J. Glennon

Evaluating the Quality of Behavior Analytic Practitioner Training Programs.

Dixon and colleagues (2015) asserted that faculty research productivity is a key indicator of the quality of university programs that train future practitioners of behavior analysis. Based on their analysis of publications in select journals, the authors concluded that many faculty in such programs have published little to no research. Some alternative measures of both faculty research productivity and the quality of practitioner training programs are suggested here.

Licensing Behavior Analysts: Risks and Alternatives

Under certain conditions, obtaining state laws to license practitioners of behavior analysis might be feasible and could produce benefits for practitioners and consumers. Those conditions are not yet in place in most states, however, and pursuing licensure prematurely carries substantial risks for the entire field. We describe the most serious risks and the conditions that make it more or less likely that licensure initiatives will succeed. Finally, we recommend strategies for securing recognition of practitioners of behavior analysis in laws, regulations, and policies that can minimize risks.

A Primer on Professional Credentialing: Introduction to Invited Commentaries on Licensing Behavior Analysts

Questions have arisen recently about the relative merits of certification and licensure for protecting practitioners of behavior analysis and consumers of their services. The two approaches to credentialing have short- and long-term implications for practitioners, consumers, and the field. To provide background for the invited commentaries on these issues, we describe similarities and differences in the two types of professional credentials.

Destination unknown: A behavior analysis journey into Autism education using Sulzer-Azaroff and Associates’ Applying Behavior Analysis across the Autism Spectrum: A Field Guide for Practitioners

Following a workshop I conducted a few months ago, I was asked by an eager group of services agencies and parents, “We have funding, but do you know any good behavior analysts who can provide these services?” It seems to me that question is asked more often these days, which is a good thing—it's nice to be wanted. By many measures, behavior analysis has turned the corner; the demand for behavior analysts is broad, and the resistance to our science is fading. It was not so long ago that behavior analysts struggled to be heard while squelching rumors that behaviorism's wealth of promise had turned bearish. Today, we find ourselves in the public eye at a greater frequency and almost always in a highly favorable spotlight (e.g., see Department of Defense Report and Plan on Services to Military Dependent Children with Autism, 2007). Our services are in great demand, and (would you believe it?) we cannot produce behavior analysts quickly enough to meet the growing needs. An interesting dilemma: How do we maintain our standards for high-quality training of practitioners and resist the temptation to churn out practitioners, perhaps before they receive adequate supervision in the field? A related problem: The specifications and parameters of supervised experience have been delineated (Behavior Analysis Certification Board; BACB) to some extent, but beyond a task list, there is little to no uniformity in how to teach behavior analysis practitioners, especially those outside graduate training and internship programs. In Applying Behavior Analysis Across the Autism Spectrum: A Field Guide for Practitioners (Sulzer-Azaroff & Associates, 2008; hereafter, Field Guide), this dilemma has been addressed head on in a systematic and effective way. This clever and important book will open doors for shaping practitioners in their natural day-to-day settings and will go far to mediate the shortage problem that we currently face. From the lively narrative story that begins each chapter (a metaphor for the behavior analysis journey), to its inconspicuous programmed teaching design, Field Guide carefully escorts the new field practitioner (hereafter, practitioner) into the many challenges encountered in service delivery. Great care has been taken to preserve the fidelity of the science, principles, and practice of behavior analysis. In addition, Field Guide places a strong emphasis on best practices. Topics such as informed consent, literature review, data-based treatment decisions, supervision, practicing within ones competencies, and so on, establish the ethical foundation for the beginning practitioner. And if that is not enough to entice the practitioner to embark on the journey, Field Guide provides nearly every form and worksheet imaginable, thereby alleviating the burden of developing comprehensive formats and allowing the practitioner to get down to the business at hand—analyzing and changing behavior. There are numerous benefits from using Field Guide. Supervisors will immediately discover a cohesive and flexible program to provide guidance to practitioners across a variety of contexts. Practitioners will begin to conduct evidence-based behavior analysis treatment in a manner that defines best practice. Recipients of behavior analytic services will gain from behavior principles that have been applied in the most effective and conscientious way. In the long run, Field Guide can provide a foundation for integrating and establishing behavior analysis as the guide to effective decision-making at many levels. This, at least, was the outcome achieved at our program in which supervisors and practitioners shared in multiple successes including improved staff development techniques and competency-based training, improved academic and social skills, and more precise assessment of reinforcer preferences. The first portion of this review provides an overview of the Field Guide and a selection of the topics contained in each chapter. The second portion of this review is a brief summary of the results of using Field Guide in a practicum seminar conducted this past year at our program in Lafayette, Colorado.

Essential Content for Training Behavior Analysis Practitioners

A recent national survey of 265 behavior analysts has produced a list of 12 content areas and 108 tasks that the group felt were essential in the training of behavior analyst practitioners. The survey methodology, sample demographics, and survey results are summarized. The implications of these results are discussed as they relate to instruction in behavior analysis and the standards of practice of behavior analyst practitioners. The final task list of essential content is provided.