Clinical Applications for Applied Behavior Analysis Nathan Call, Ph.D., BCBA
Dec 25, 2015
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Applied Behavior Analysis
Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Applied• Behavioral• Analytic• Technological• Conceptually Systematic• Effective• Generalizable
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Applied Behavior Analytic ResearchApplied Behavior Analytic Research
(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Applied
“Teaching teenagers with autism to seek assistance when lost”
“Teaching safety skills to children to prevent gun play”
“Delay discounting by pathological gamblers” “Social antecedents of children’s eyewitness
testimony” “A half century of scalloping in the work habits
of the United States Congress”
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Applied Behavior Analytic ResearchApplied Behavior Analytic Research
(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Behavioral
More concerned with what people can be brought to do than what they can be brought to say
• Analytic A believable demonstration of the events
responsible for the occurrence or non-occurrence of the behavior in question
Demonstrate a functional relationship (or the closest approximation thereof): necessary & sufficient
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Applied Behavior Analytic ResearchApplied Behavior Analytic Research
(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Technological
Given a reading of a description of the methods, could a typically trained reader replicate the procedure well enough to produce the same results?
• Conceptual Systems Descriptions of procedures are relevant to
behavioral principles Shows the reader how similar procedures may be
derived from basic principles
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Applied Behavior Analytic ResearchApplied Behavior Analytic Research
(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Effective
Must produce large enough effects for practical value
What is enough?– How much did that behavior need to change?
• Generality Durable over time Appears in a wide variety of possible
environments Spreads to a wide variety of related behaviors
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A Day in the Life of a Behavior AnalystA Day in the Life of a Behavior Analyst
Universities• Professors, researchers
Education• Consultants, school psychologists, special
educators Industry
• Safety/efficiency consultants, sports psychologists, military consultants
Private practice psychologists• Counselors, parent training specialists
Healthcare• Pediatric and developmental psychologists
Miscellaneous• animal trainers, social behavior specialists
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Animal predation center Center for disabilities and development Pediatric specialties clinics Louisiana State University Marcus Autism Center
A Day in the Life of this Behavior A Day in the Life of this Behavior AnalystAnalyst
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Behavior Problems with a History of Successful Treatment by Behavior Analytic Interventions
Phobias Obsessive-compulsive disorder Speech delays Paraphillias Self injury Aggression Property destruction Pica Conduct disorders (i.e., juvenile delinquency) Eneurisis/econpresis Inattention/impulsivity Feeding disorders Rumination
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Treating Problem Behavior
Starts with an assessment of the reinforcers that maintain the behavior• Indirect assessment• Descriptive analysis• Experimental analysis
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Skills Successfully Taught Using Applied Behavior Analytic Approaches
Language Academics Self-help Vocational Safety Social
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Total Problem Behavior Problem Behavior During Breaks
Demand
Demand with items (unavailable)Demand with items
(available)
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Autism: Speech/Language
An overall deficit in language• Can be both receptive or expressive, for others it is limited
to expressive delays Some kids who learn language do so slower, with
comprehension difficulties, and continued problems with “pragmatic” communication
Abnormal prosody, echolalia/scripting, pronoun reversals, etc.• 4 types of verbal operants
Echoic Tact Mand Intraverbal
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Verbal Operants
Mand• MO----Mand---Specific Reinforcer
Tact• Nonverbal---Tact---Generalized Reinforcer
Intraverbal• Verbal---Intraverbal---Generalized Reinforcer
Example• “Truck”
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Functional Categories of Verbal Behavior
Echoic- Verbal to verbal behavior with point-to-point correspondence. (i.e., verbal Imitation-repeating exactly what is heard). Used to shape articulation, or later on, more complex language abilities.
• Example-
Instructor: “Ball.”
Student: “Ball.”
Instructor: “ahh.”
Student: “ahh.”
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Echoic Controlling Variables
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
Verbal Stimulus Verbal Behavior Generalized R+
“Ball” “Ball” “Nice talking”
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Functional Categories of Verbal Behavior
Tact- Verbal behavior in the presence of a nonverbal stimulus. Naming something (item, person, action, emotion), or a property of something which is present.
• Example-Child: (looking up at sky) “Airplane!”
Instructor: (holding red ball) “What color is this?”Student: “Red.”
Student: (On swing set)Instructor: “What are you doing?”Student: “Swinging.”
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Tact Controlling Variables
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
Nonverbal Stimulus Verbal Behavior Generalized R+
Picture of Ball “Ball” “Yes, that is a ball”
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Functional Categories of Verbal Behavior
Intraverbal- Verbal to Verbal behavior that does not have point-to-point correspondence. Answering “Wh” questions or responding to something said by another person about something (item, person, action…), or a property of something which is NOT present. It’s a conversational exchange.
• Examples-“Name some animals.” “Cat, dog and chicken.”“What is your sister’s name?” “Anne.”“What does a dog say?” “Woof.”
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Intraverbal Controlling Variables
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
Verbal Stimulus Verbal Behavior Generalized R+
“What does a dog say” “Woof Woof” “That’s right”
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Functional Categories of Verbal Behavior
Mand- Verbal behavior in the presence of an establishing operation. A request for something (item, activity, information) that is desired.
• Example- “I want juice.” “Open the door.” “Where is my coat?”
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Mand Controlling Variables
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
EO Verbal Behavior Specific to the EO
Food Deprivation “I want chips” Chips
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Verbal Stimulus Echoic Generalized R+
Nonverbal Stimulus Tact Generalized R+
Verbal Stimulus Intraverbal Generalized R+
EO Mand Specific to EO
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No Attention
Therapist Attention
Aloof Condition
No Attention
Therapist Attention
Passive Condition
No Attention
Therapist Attention
Active Condition
Aloof Passive ActiveActive