Matthew T. Brodhead

The use of linked activity schedules to teach children with autism to play hide-and-seek

Linked activity schedules were used to establish appropriate game play in children with autism during a game of hide-and-seek. All 6 participants demonstrated acquisition of appropriate play skills in the presence of the activity schedules and maintained responding during subsequent phases. When the schedules were removed, responding decreased to baseline levels, demonstrating that the schedules controlled responding. Implications for future research on the use of activity schedules to teach social behavior are discussed.

Developing the Cultural Awareness Skills of Behavior Analysts

All individuals are a part of at least one culture. These cultural contingencies shape behavior, behavior that may or may not be acceptable or familiar to behavior analysts from another culture. To better serve individuals, assessments and interventions should be selected with a consideration of cultural factors, including cultural preferences and norms. The purpose of this paper is to provide suggestions to serve as a starting point for developing behavior analysts’ cultural awareness skills. We present strategies for understanding behavior analysts’ personal cultural values and contingencies and those of their clients, integrating cultural awareness practices into service delivery, supervision, and professional development, and becoming culturally aware in everyday practice.

Teaching and maintaining ethical behavior in a professional organization.

In addition to continuing education mandates by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), behavior-analytic professional organizations may adopt systems that teach and maintain ethical behavior in its employees. Systems of ethical supervision and management may allow for an organization to customize training that prevents ethical misconduct by employees. These systems may also allow supervisors to identify ethical problems in their infancy, allowing the organization to mitigate concerns before they further develop. Systems of ethical management and supervision also may help to improve services and promote consumer protection. Additional benefits might include both avoiding litigation and loss of consumers and income. These systems may promote the field of Behavior Analysis as a desirable, consumer-friendly approach to solving socially significant behavior problems.

The use of a discrimination‐training procedure to teach mand variability to children with autism

We investigated the effects of a script-fading and discrimination-training procedure on mand variability in preschoolers with autism. Participants were taught to vary their vocal mands in the presence of written scripts, a green placemat, and a lag schedule of reinforcement. They were also taught to engage in repetitive mands in the presence of the same written scripts and a red placemat. When the scripts were removed, all 3 participants continued to engage in varied manding in the presence of the green placemat and lag schedule, and they continued to engage in repetitive manding in the presence of the red placemat. When the lag schedule was also removed, 2 of the 3 participants continued to engage in varied responding in the presence of the green placemat and repetitive responding in the presence of the red placemat. Finally, all 3 participants demonstrated generalization and maintenance of mand variability during snack sessions with their peers.

Further refinement of video‐based brief multiple‐stimulus without replacement preference assessments

We compared the results of a brief video-based multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment with no access to chosen activities (MSWO-NO) to the results of the same assessment with access (MSWO-WA) with four children with autism. We also compared instructor rankings of activities to MSWO-WA results. Strong to moderate correlations between MSWO-NO and MSWO-WA assessment results were found across all participants. The correlation between MSWO-WA and instructor rankings ranged from strong to low across all participants. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

An Evaluation of a Brief Video-Based Multiple-Stimulus Without Replacement Preference Assessment

We evaluated a brief multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment conducted in video format with four children with autism. Specifically, we compared the results of a video-based MSWO to the results of a tangible MSWO. Toys identified as highly preferred (HP) in the video-based MSWO were also HP in the tangible MSWO for three of four participants, and correlations between video-based and tangible MSWO assessment results across participants were strong and statistically significant. Therefore, video-based MSWOs may be an accurate compliment to tangible MSWOs for children with autism.

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Recent Verbal Behavior Research on Individuals with Disabilities: a Review and Implications for Research and Practice

The number of individuals from various culture and language backgrounds who are receiving behavior-analytic services is growing. Therefore, a behavioral understanding of the role of cultural and linguistic diversity (CLD) in language acquisition may be warranted. We searched recent editions of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis to determine the degree to which researchers report the CLD of individuals with disabilities who participate in verbal behavior research. Our results indicate that researchers in these journals rarely report the culture and language background of their participants. Given these results, we provide a conceptual analysis and describe implications for research and clinical practice. A further understanding of the role of CLD may aid in the development of better behavioral interventions and culturally sensitive treatments. Finally, research that explores the role of CLD in language acquisition may add to the generality of behavior-analytic research and practice.

Using videos to assess preference for novel stimuli in children with autism

ABSTRACT A primary effort of preference assessment research has been to develop strategies to identify potential reinforcers for educational, social, and behavioral programming for individuals with disabilities, including children with autism. However, little attention has been paid to the identification of preferred stimuli children with autism may not have previous experience with. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which a video-based preference assessment may accurately identify preference for novel stimuli. We compared the results of the video-based preference assessment with no access to novel stimuli to the results of a preference assessment conducted in a tangible format with access. We then conducted the same video-based preference assessment a second time to evaluate the extent to which exposure to stimuli affected assessment results. The results provide preliminary support that a video-based preference assessment may accurately identify preference for novel stimuli. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Increasing physical activity for adults with autism spectrum disorder: Comparing in-person and technology delivered praise

BACKGROUND/AIMS/METHODS While there are many benefits to regular engagement in physical activity, individuals with autism spectrum disorder often do not engage in healthy levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to compare praise delivered through multiple means on increasing engagement in physical activity for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. A single-case alternating treatment design was used to compare two conditions for delivering praise statements, in-person and through technology, for three young adults with autism spectrum disorder and accompanying intellectual disability. PROCEDURES/OUTCOMES The study consisted of training; baseline, comparison, best-treatment, thinning, and generalization phases; and social validity interviews. For each session, data were collected on the number of laps completed, duration, and resting/ending heart rates. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS The number of laps completed increased for all participants during intervention, however, results were mixed regarding the more effective and preferred condition. Participants who excelled in the technology condition also maintained performance levels when praise statements were thinned and generalized performance to a new setting. IMPLICATIONS Praise statements can be used to increase levels of physical activity in young adults with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Exposing individuals to multiple conditions can impact their preferred method for receiving support.

How to Identify Ethical Practices in Organizations Prior to Employment

Behavior analysts likely can evaluate multiple organizations prior to accepting a job due to recent increases in the number of organizations providing ABA services. We argue that evaluating the ethical values of an organization is paramount during the job search process. We provide strategies for evaluating the ethical values of an organization prior to employment and describe considerations from the pre-application process through contract negotiations. Ultimately, we add to the growing body of literature that provides guidance for common problems behavior analysts may face over the course of their careers.