ABA this week
04/05/26-04/11/26
Scholarly publications
Includes peer reviewed journals within and adjacent to behavior analysis
(Starred journals available to BCBAs through the BACB portal)
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis *
4/7 Olgun, D., Deshais, M. A., Kahng, S., & LaRue, R. H. (2026). Reducing social media use via contingency management: A replication and extension. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 59(2), e70061. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70061
(Open access) In a replication, contingency management reduced engagement with social media, but did not increase engagement in alternative activities
Behavior Analysis in Practice
Norris, H.M., Mitteer, D.R., Hurd, A.M. et al. Correction: Integrating Client and Implementer Preferences During Functional Communication Training with Discriminative Stimuli. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01165-1
(Open access) The correction seems to be entirely related to correcting superscript text (for SD and Sdelta)
Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice
4/5 Austin, J. L. (2026). The importance of saying “yes”: Embracing opportunities to expand the reach of behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/bar0000329
Jennifer Austin on the power of “yes” in her career
Behavioral Interventions *
4/10 Almarzooqi, Jenan, JosephRicciardi, TriciaChoy, et al. 2026. “The Teacher as Performance Manager of Behavioral Data Collection in the Classroom,” Behavioral Interventions: e70091. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70091
The authors trained special ed teachers to use Performance Management strategies (”prompting, checking, praising, and correcting, in vivo”) to improve data collection in their classrooms
Singer-Dudek, Jessica, HungChang, JenniferLongano, and R. D.Greer. 2026. “The Effects of Peers Versus Adults on Observational Conditioning-By-Denial,” Behavioral Interventions: e70100. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70100
The authors used a peer or adult in an intervention designed to condition a neutral stimulus as a reinforcer. First, present the stimulus to the other person, while continually withholding it from the target individual. In this study, only when given to a peer (and not an adult) did the stimulus become a conditioned reinforcer
Behavior Modification *
4/8 Lewis, T. K., & Cariveau, T. (2026). Preliminary Demonstration of Concurrent-Chains Progressive Ratio Schedules to Measure Magnitude of Relative Preference. Behavior Modification, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455261434869
Concurrent chain schedules can test for preference; in this study, one chain schedule had a progressive ratio. 2/4 participants reached a break point in the PR schedule, revealing more information about preferences
Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions *
4/5 Dickinson, S., Rosinski, L., Ferron, J. M., & Agazzi, H. (2026). Addressing Early Childhood Disruptive Behavior and Parenting Stress Through Group Behavioral Parent Training: Effects of Socioeconomic Risk and Homework Completion. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 0(0) https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007251389296
Parent training homework completion negatively correlated with socioeconomic stress (e.g., poor parents don’t do the homework), but strangely it did not seem to correlate with child behavior problems
4/8 Carpenter, M. E., Snodgrass, M. R., Walker, V. L., Pinczynski, M., & Harris, R. (2026). Participation of Students With IDD in Social Validity Assessment of Function-Based Interventions in School Settings: A Prevalence Review. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007251389667
In 142 studies using a single-case design in schools from 2006-2022, only 11 reported social validity data from the subject
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
4/10 Coleman, A., Fitzwater, B.M., Harden, P.A. et al. Child Autism Spectrum Disorder Following Maternal Abuse and Trauma History. J Autism Dev Disord (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07326-z
In a retrospective review of medical records of two pediatric practices in two different states, women who reported any history of abuse prior to their pregnancy were 2-3 times more likely to have a child diagnosed with ASD
Book publications
Textbooks, handbooks, manuals, or mass-market
Upcoming:
Personal Narratives on the Behavior Analysis of Human Language and Cognition: Stories from Around the World, Harte et al. (Eds.) (Jul 2026)
WAVE Prosocial Assessment and Curriculum, Rehfeldt & Dixon (Pre-order)
Digital Technologies in Behavior Science: Theoretical and Practical Applications, Crone-Todd, Hantula, Layng (Eds.) (Pre-order Feb 25, 2026)
AIM Navigators, Dixon (Pre-order)
Promoting Language for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Verbal Behavior Guide for Practitioners, Vladescu & Kissamore (Eds.)
Navigating Ethics in Behavior Analysis: Dealing with Gray Areas, Carr
Podcasts
ABA Inside Track
Golden Grab Bag (Spring Grab Bag 2026)
Behavioral Observations
Train Smarter, Not Harder: Heart Rate Zones, VO2 Max, and Better Fitness: Session 329 with Nick Green
Blogs
Generally these are produced by professionals
ABAI
Applied Behavioral Musicology: Classic Behavior Analysis Publications, In Song
Tom Critchfield and Derek Reed create ABA songs using AI? It’s certainly something
Licensing & professional organizations
Business world
Autism services, behavioral health, etc.
Federal Audits of Medicaid-Autism Oversight Are a ‘Black Eye,’ Likely to Ignite Profound Change
ABA is expensive. It has drawn increasing scrutiny, particularly in the several states where it has consumed a majority of Medicaid funding (such as Indiana). And in a time where the mere existence of fraud in a large industry seems to spark large-scale (astroturfed) movements to cut funding (see this nonsense). It remains to be seen whether there will be a course-correction (better reporting of outcomes, cost controls) or a complete backlash.
Accidentally behavior analysis
A mainstream news article that relates to behavior analysis
You aren’t the only one who just sits in the car before or after a long day, AP News
This is not entirely as complicated as the interview subjects make it out to be. In a classic article, the work habits of Congress are described as being analogous to a fixed interval schedule. That is to say: pigeons in a cage pressing a lever for grains of feed is not directly applicable to the average human behavior – yet the pigeon could be an example of a basic process.
This is not a convincing argument to some people (even Jack Michael), but consider that the “processing” metaphor used in this article – and frequently in others – is a computer analogy that has no evident basis.
Continuing education
UPCOMING:
BehaviorLive has free events: 4/15, 4/23 (ETH), 4/28, 4/30 (ETH)
Flashback
Brill’s patented psychoanalytic behaviorist cure
The Ninth International Congress of Psychology in 1929 had some early papers from some memorable names: Thorndike, Pavlov, and some psychoanalyst named Brill. He (it just has to be a he) describes a case of a boy who chewed on his clothes – it’s likely you’ve had a similar case yourself. Now, on the one hand, perhaps this boy was cured because psychoanalysis was “stopping the source of the libido increase” (???) or perhaps it was because he was allowed to chew gum. You be the judge.
I laughed when I read the flashback. Thanks for the list.
What a great illustration of DRI? It’s hard to chew your clothing when you’re busy chewing gum?