A case study in the misrepresentation of applied behavior analysis in autism: the gernsbacher lectures

Introducing LADER: A Structured Approach to Effective Professional Interactions for Behavior Analysts

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a human service profession using the science of behaviorism to promote meaningful changes in the lives of clients. However, misconceptions, misunderstandings, and false information have plagued our field since its inception and challenge the efficacy of our continued dissemination efforts. Effective science communication skills, especially for fields with a highly technical language such as ABA, promote marked improvements in client outcomes. Herein we introduce LADER, a structured and scaffolded approach to effective professional interactions for behavior analysts. The five components of LADER (listen, ask questions, determine misconceptions, engage, and reflect and evaluate) support analysts in navigating complex and potentially challenging conversations with clients, caregivers, collaborative professionals, and other stakeholders. The experiences and insights of current behavior professionals, and empirical research on effective science communication, underpins the components of LADER. Following a description of LADER, a hypothetical scenario provides readers with a vignette on how to apply LADER in practice.

Theoretical-Methodological Foundations for the Global Integration Method (Método de Integração Global-MIG) in the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Currently, there is no intervention model for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that addresses all levels and factors of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF, WHO). The most researched programs focus on naturalistic, developmental and behavioral approaches to socio-communication. Less attention has been paid to motor and environmental reactivity aspects (behavior/interest restriction and sensory reactivity). The evidence rationale for the Global Integration Method (MIG, "Método de Integração Global"), a model addressing sensorimotor reactivity in addition to socio-communication, is presented. MIG is an integrative, interdisciplinary, family-oriented intervention and naturalistic program that addresses all levels and moderating factors of ASD's impact. MIG's theoretical rationale is based on the predictive coding impairment and embodied cognition hypotheses. MIG incorporates both bottom-up (flexible therapeutic suit, social-motor synchronization) and top-down (schematic social information processing, narratives, imagery) strategies to promote the building and use of accurate, flexible and context-sensitive internal predictive models. MIG is based on the premises that predictive coding improves both socio-communication and environmental reactivity, and that the postural stabilization provided by the flexible therapeutic suit frees information processing resources for socio-cognitive learning. MIG builds on interdisciplinary, professionally and parentally mediated work based on behavioral principles of intensive training in a situated environment.

“Recalling hidden harms”: autistic experiences of childhood applied behavioural analysis (ABA)

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the long-term impacts autistic adults experienced from childhood participation in the applied behavioural analysis (ABA).

Design/methodology/approach

Possible participants were recruited through advertisements on social media and autism and ABA organisations. Possible participants were given the choice between an online or face-to-face interview or an anonymised online questionnaire.

Findings

Reflections from 10 participants were indicative of a predominantly detrimental impact of ABA. Reflections gave rise to a core theme “recalling hidden harms of childhood experiences of ABA”. Outcomes are discussed in relation to the impact on autistic identity, current research and progressing understanding of the impacts of early intervention from the autistic perspective.

Research limitations/implications

The practical implications of ABA are discussed alongside recommendations for future practice and research with the involvement of autistic individuals within interventive processes.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to take an in-depth, qualitative approach to autistic experiences of ABA. The findings themselves are driven to conceptualise and give voice to the core impacts which carried through participants’ exploration and understanding of self.

Mothers' Perspectives on the Inclusion of Young Autistic Children in Kuwait

There is a lack of information on early childhood inclusive education and the parental perspectives towards the inclusion of autistic children in Kuwait. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives and experiences amongst mothers of young autistic children regarding the inclusion of their children in general education kindergarten settings. Focus group and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with (n = 34) Kuwaiti mothers of children with (ASD). The study participants were of the opinion that the behaviours unique to (ASD) can only be managed in highly structured special education settings. The themes that emerged from the interviews demonstrate that the general view amongst the study participants is that the inclusive educational model will not meet the autistic children's needs.

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.

Concerns About the Registered Behavior Technician™ in Relation to Effective Autism Intervention

In 2014, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB®) initiated a program for credentialing behavior technicians. The new credential, Registered Behavior Technician™ (RBT®), is for providers of behavioral intervention to a wide range of individuals with mental health needs and developmental delays, including individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The RBT® would represent the entry-level position within the range of the BACB® credentials. Despite the increasing acceptance of this newest level of credential from the behavioral community, the authors of this paper have substantial concerns with the RBT® credential as it relates to the delivery of intervention to individuals diagnosed with ASD. The purpose of this paper is to detail these concerns and propose remedies that would ensure that individuals diagnosed with ASD receive effective behavioral intervention.

A Case Study of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Comorbid disruptive behavior disorders occur in up to 80% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children with ASD often present as inattentive, noncompliant, and aggressive, making it difficult for them to engage in learning and social activities across settings. Parents and school staff report spending excessive time managing disruptive behaviors at the expense of engaging these children in meaningful skill development. Identifying effective interventions to decrease disruptive behaviors and increase positive skill development is of critical importance to improving outcomes for children with ASD. This case study presents the effectiveness of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy, an evidence-based intervention for young children with disruptive behavior, for addressing behavioral problems in a 7-year-old boy with ASD. Results suggested improvements in child compliance and decrease in disruptive behaviors. Further, parents increased their use of positive parenting strategies, including giving effective commands all of which serve to improve the parent–child relationship. Treatment implications for working with young children with ASD are discussed.

Toward effective and preferred programming: a case for the objective measurement of social validity with recipients of behavior-change programs

The adoption of effective behavioral interventions and teaching strategies for young children is largely influenced by the extent to which stakeholders find the procedures appropriate and the effects important. Stakeholder values have been described by measures of social validity in applied behavior analysis, and these measures have been a part of behavior-analytic research and practice since their important characteristics were described in the late 1970s. The typically subjective nature of the social validation process appears, however, to have marginalized children and other usual recipients of behavior-change procedures (i.e., individuals with autism or intellectual disabilities) from social validation processes. Therefore, the importance of including recipients of behavior-change procedures in the social validation process and methods for doing so are described in this paper.

Why reinvent the wheel? A behaviour analyst's reflections on pedagogy for inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disability

The number of children identified as having intellectual or developmental disability is rising worldwide and their education has been found wanting. It has been said that "they simply need better teaching." At the same time, there is an increasing evidence base that pedagogy that is based on the discipline of behaviour analysis offers the best prospect for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. On the basis of this evidence, it is proposed that behaviour analysis should be applied more broadly to improve teaching for all children with intellectual or developmental disability.

Beyond freedom and dignity at 40: comments on behavioral science, the future, and chance (2007)

Forty years after the publication of Beyond Freedom and Dignity (Skinner, 1971) and the continuing growth of behavior analysis, the future of humanity and the role of behavioral science in that future remain uncertain. A recent paper by Chance (2007) documented a shift in Skinner's views during the last years of his life. Skinner had long advocated a science and technology of behavior for finding and engineering solutions to cultural and global problems and advancing human development. This optimism had given way under a gradual realization that the science of behavior was in fact showing how such problems were unlikely to be solved in time to avert a variety of possible disasters. Chance described nine behavioral phenomena that appear to interfere with effective problem-solving behavior on a large scale and in effective time frames. These phenomena are reviewed toward an analysis of common themes. Research is also reviewed that involves nonverbal, verbal, and cultural contingencies that may lead to applications designed to address the common themes. Problems and strategies of implementation are also discussed. The challenges are daunting, but may nevertheless be regarded as technical problems best suited for a science and technology of behavior.