Wayne Fisher is the H.B. Munroe Professor of Behavioral Research at the Munroe-Meyer Institute in the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), where he directs the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Prior to joining UNMC, he was a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the founding executive director of the Marcus Behavior Center and the Neurobehavioral Programs at the Marcus and Kennedy Krieger Institutes. As director of each of these centers, Dr. Fisher developed large and productive programs that integrated cutting-edge research, training, clinical service, and community outreach. He has published over 130 articles and chapters and has received over $3 million in state and federal grants to support his research. He is a former editor and associated editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and has served on board of editors for four other scholarly publications. He has chaired and served on research study panels for both the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Education. He is a past vice-president of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and founding president of the Maryland Association for Behavior Analysis, and has been honored (a) as a Bush Leadership Fellow, (b) as recipient of the Award for Distinguished Contribution to Applied Behavioral Research from Division 25 of the American Psychological Association, and (c) as a fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis.

Presentation:

Behavioral Approaches to the Assessment and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Workshop Objectives:

The objectives of the workshop are to help the audience:

• describe the defining characteristics of autism, Asperger syndrome, and other autism spectrum disorders;
• define the components of early intensive behavior intervention for autism;
• explain the relative costs and benefits of early intensive behavior intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder;
• Distinguishing between topographical and functional approaches to categorizing aberrant behavior
• Identifying the strengths and limitations of indirect and direct functional assessments and formal functional analyses
• Identify potentially effective behavioral interventions based on the results of a formal functional analysis

Workshop Abstract:

The prevalence of autism has been increasing at a rate of about 15% per year, and conservative estimates indicate that autism affects at least 1 in 110 children. Without appropriate, intensive treatment, the long-term outcomes for children with autism remain bleak. In a follow-up study of adults with autism, only 26% had one or more friends, 13% had independent jobs (mostly low paying positions), and 4% lived independently. The divorce rate among parents of children with autism has been estimated to be above 80%, and family members are at increased risk for stress-related mental health disorders. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) assessment and treatment procedures have the most empirical evidence supporting their effectiveness for producing clinically significant, lasting improvements in the functioning of people with autism. In this presentation, I will describe and provide examples of Early Intensive Behavior Analytic Intervention (EIBI) as a comprehensive approach to the treatment of young children with autism and also describe function-based approaches to the assessment and treatment of severe aberrant behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior) often seen in individuals with autism.

Edmond Tiryak is a Philadelphia civil rights attorney who has specialized in representing people with disabilities for over 35 years. He has litigation experience at all levels including the Supreme Court of the United States, where he briefed and argued the landmark case of Youngberg v. Romeo, 457 U.S. 307 (1982) where the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that institutionalized people had Due Process rights to treatment, safety, and non-restrictive conditions of confinement. Lead counsel in successful class action on behalf of 19,000 disabled children seeking access to behavioral health services with reasonable promptness under the Social Security act. Kirk T. v. Houstoun, 2000 WL 830731 (E.D.Pa. 2000). Mr. Tiryak currently represents the Kennedy Krieger Institute with respect to a variety of matters, including handling all appeals concerning insurance coverage for behavioral issues. An expert in his own right with respect to Applied Behavioral Analysis, Mr. Tiryak has spoken and written widely on the subject.

Presentation:

THE RIGHT TO TREATMENT IN A MANAGED CARE ENVIRONMENT

For years, advocates for people with disabilities fought for the concept of a Right to Treatment, arguing that states we obligated to provide treatment to institutionalized people. Eventually, the Supreme Court determined that such a right existed, and that people with disabilities had such rights whenever the state exercised its authority over them.

Now, we live in a managed care environment, with private insurance companies making treatment decisions for people with disabilities. What effects has this had on the treatment provided to them?

This talk will focus on what parents and providers can to do to ensure that insurance companies actually provide necessary medical treatment to disabled Americans. The speaker has a long legal history of fighting for the right to treatment, and currently works with the Kennedy Krieger Institute, fighting insurance companies for treatment rights.

Cathleen C. Piazza, Ph.D. is a Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha She previously directed similar programs at the Marcus Institute in Atlanta and at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Dr. Piazza and her colleagues have examined various aspects of feeding behavior and have developed a series of interventions to address one of the most common health problems in children. Her research in this area has been among the most systematic in the field and has firmly established behavioral approaches as preferred methods for assessment and treatment. In her roles as clinical, research, and training director, Dr. Piazza has mentored a large number of interns and fellows who have gone on to make significant contributions to the field. Highly regarded for her general expertise in research methodology, Dr. Piazza is a former Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Presentation:

A Summary of the Effectiveness of Treatments for Pediatric Feeding Disorders:

Cathleen C. Piazza, Valerie M. Volkert, Rebecca Groff, and Suzanne Milnes - University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute

Previous research has demonstrated that escape extinction (EE) is a necessary component of treatment for pediatric feeding disorders in most cases (e.g., Ahearn, Kerwin, Eicher, Shantz, & Swearingin, 1996; Patel, Piazza, Martinez, Volkert, & Santana, 2001; Reed, Piazza, Patel, Layer, Bachmeyer, Bethke, & Gutshall, 2004). Our clinical experience is that EE is not always effective when used alone, which necessitates the use of alternative and/or additional procedures. Although researchers have evaluated the effectiveness of treatment procedures individually, the overall effectiveness of these procedures has not been evaluated on a large scale. In the present paper, we examined 135 data sets from children referred for treatment of a pediatric feeding disorder. We analyzed how often EE-based procedures were effective in increasing acceptance and mouth clean (a product measure of swallowing) and decreasing inappropriate mealtime behavior. We also analyzed how often it was necessary to use alternative and/or additional procedures when EE was not effective. We identified the procedures that were used and evaluated their effectiveness in treating the target behaviors noted above.

Learning objectives:

1. The participant will be able to describe at least one method of implementing escape extinction for treatment of a pediatric feeding disorder.
2. The participant will be able to identify at least one treatment for expulsion.
3. The participant will be able to identify at least one treatment for packing.
4. The participant will become familiar with the effectiveness of escape extinction procedures as treatment for pediatric feeding disorders.

Dr. Jose Martinez-Diaz, BCBA-D, is associate professor and the founder and chair of Behavior Analysis Graduate Degree Programs at Florida Institute of Technology's College of Psychology and Liberal Arts. He also is the founder and program director of the ABA-On-line Professional Development Program at Florida Tech, CEO of ABA Technologies, Inc., and is an adjunct professor at Penn State's Department of Special Education.

Jose served as an officer and board member of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) for seven years and is now Senior Consultant for the BACB. Jose also serves as member of the Board of Directors for the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) and for the Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology Specialty Council. He also is a member of Florida's Behavior Analysis Peer Review Committee. Jose is a past president of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis, which awarded its highest honor, the Charles H. Cox Award for Outstanding Service and Advancement of Behavior Analysis in Florida in 2005.

Jose earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with an emphasis in behavior analysis and therapy, from West Virginia University. His publications include a chapter on ethics in Cooper, Heron, and Heward, Applied Behavior Analysis, Second Edition and an article on Autism Spectrum Disorders in the National Health Review.

Presentation:

Students will explore the ethical and legal considerations in the practice of behavior analysis. Case scenarios are utilized to demonstrate and facilitate understanding of the workshop material.

Topics Discussed:

1. Standards of professional practice dictated by the BACB(R) Guidelines for Responsible Conduct and the BACB(R) Ethical Considerations Task list.
2. Ethical issues relevant to client services

Michael Kelley is the Executive Director of the Scott Center for Autism Treatment and Associate Professor at Florida Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Florida Tech, he was an Associate Professor at the Munroe-Meyer Institute in the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), where he served as director of the Severe Behavior Disorders Program in the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. He also was on the faculty at the University of Southern Maine (2007-2010) and the Emory University School of Medicine and Marcus Institute (2004-2007). During his career, Dr. Kelley has helped to establish and maintain programs that specialized in clinical service, training, and research. He has published over 30 articles and chapters and has been active in grant writing and research. He is a former associate editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and is currently serving on the board of editors for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Dr. Kelley was the recipient of the Division 25 American Psychological Association’s New Researcher Award (2010).

Presentation:

Individuals diagnosed with autism typically have difficulty communicating and interacting socially with others, and often engage in non-purposeful behaviors that interfere with educational opportunities. Research suggests that difficulties with communication are correlated with both the development of inappropriate behavior and less success in education. Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that individuals will improve in these areas without specific, targeted, early intervention services. Fortunately, there is voluminous research in the applied behavior analytic literature showing that problem behaviors (such as aggression, self-injurious behavior, tantrums) can be effectively assessed and treated. In this presentation, I will describe common techniques for establishing effective assessment and intervention for problem behavior. I will focus on how to best translate empirical findings into practical methods for use in non-research settings (e.g., schools).

Learning objectives:

• Why is it important to establish preferred items for intervention?
• What is the difference between social and non-social reinforcement?
• What is the difference between “positive” and “negative” attention, and why does it not really matter?
• What is the value in formal assessment?
• What is the value in formal data collection?