ABA this week
06/22/25-06/28/25
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 *
6/25 Mutchler, M. K., & Pence, S. T. (2025). Distribution of follow-up sessions influences determinations of skill maintenance. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70022
(Open access) 9 college students engaged in an arbitrary tacting task, then completed varying follow-ups over 30 days. Effectiveness of distribution of follow-up sessions varied per participant, but any opportunity was superior to none. Ebbinghausian
Slaton, J. D., Hanley, G. P., Gage, E. E., Ruppel, K. W., Raftery, K. J., Clark, M. K., & Caruso, C. M. (2025). Skill-based treatment of interfering stereotypy. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70023
In a very Hanley-esque treatment, students were provided an SD (can stim without redirection) or Sdelta (stims redirected, task completion reinforced with escape and stim). Skills taught were functional communication, delay tolerance, and task completion
Behavior Analysis in Practice
6/23 Isenhower, R.W., LaRue, R.H., Budge, J.L. et al. A Component-Based Leisure Activity Assessment for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Investigation. Behav Analysis Practice (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01071-y
(Open access) For 3 adults, the authors assessed preference for activities with 1) social or nonsocial, 2) electronic or nonelectronic, and 3) active or nonactive components. All 3 showed preferences, and showed low rates of problem behavior during matched activities and showed preference for matched activities
6/26 Burney, V., McCann, C.M. & Arnold-Saritepe, A. “Wearing Two Hats Helped Me Look at the Bigger Picture”: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Being a Parent and a Clinician in Behavior Analysis. Behav Analysis Practice (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01077-6
(Open access) Two clinicians with children who receive ABA are interviewed. They value a provider who listens, is humble, and value their experience
Behavioral Interventions *
6/23 Flores, A.M., Cividini-Motta, C., Denette, H.N. and Angelucci, L.T. (2025), Review of Current Procedural Variations of the High-Probability Sequence. Behavioral Interventions, 40: e70021. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70021
20 articles from 2010-2022 were analyzed and found that the high-p sequence was effective based on certain characteristics of the assessment process. The authors note that there are many procedural variations and parametric evaluations are warranted
6/26 Wilder, D.A., Flynn, K., Izquierdo, F. and Sheppard, C. (2025), An Evaluation of Haptic Feedback to Reduce Toe Walking. Behavioral Interventions, 40: e70022. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70022
In 2 participants, haptic (e.g., vibration) feedback to a wearable bracelet decreased toe walking, and both found the intervention socially acceptable
Perspectives on Behavior Science
6/25 Leaf, J.B. A Critical Evaluation of Practitioner Training in Applied Behavior Analysis: It is Time for a Change. Perspect Behav Sci (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-025-00461-5
Justin B. Leaf doesn't like the training. Fortunately Justin B. Leaf has some answers, including 9 articles cited on which he is lead or co-author, plus his own "Progressive Behavior Analyst Autism Council." To be fair he claims his conflicts of interest
Behavior and Social Issues
6/24 Machado, M.A. Tacts, Mands, and Margins: Using Behavior Analysis to Affirm Trans Lives. Behav. Soc. Iss. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-025-00212-w
The author argues that sharing pronouns, especially when initiated by cisgender people, is activism
Alavosius, M.P. On Being Able and Willing During Crisis: Assessment, Advocacy, Risk Management, and Collective Action. Behav. Soc. Iss. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-025-00210-y
America, scientifically speaking, is a bizarro hellscape. Here are some things you can do
Robertson, D.L. Inclusion Overcomes Intimidation: Toward Identity Safety. Behav. Soc. Iss. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-025-00211-x
Florida deliberately threatens teachers; the author argues that an effective measure is to signal safety
The Analysis of Verbal Behavior
6/24 McWilliams, M.S., Hanson, R.J. The Use of Partial Textual Stimuli within an Interactive Task for Increasing Reports of Past Behavior with a Child with Autism. Analysis Verbal Behav (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-025-00218-w
(Open access) The authors used alternating colored blocks with partial textual stimuli on them to prompt recall of activities (e.g., "I played" printed on block), which increased accurate recall for one 4 year-old autistic girl
6/25 Alonso-Vega, J., Fellingerová, V., Pereira, GL. et al. Preliminary Analysis of Rule Explicitness on Instructional Control in Immediate and Delayed Contingencies. Analysis Verbal Behav (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-025-00216-y
The authors used an implicit rule and an explicit rule regarding delayed reinforcers. The implicit rule did not impact behavior, while the explicit rule did
Anderson, B.K., Wiskow, K.M. Acquisition of Secondary Targets During Tact and Intraverbal Instruction With Instructive Feedback. Analysis Verbal Behav (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-025-00215-z
This study taught secondary targets (present a card with picture of cat, child says "Cat," staff says "That's right, a cat says 'meow'!" -- studies find that the secondary target (cat says 'meow') is acquired in fewer trials or even without further teaching). The authors found echoic behavior was highest with the primary target, but then shifted to the secondary target near mastery, implying that echoics mediate acquisition
6/27 Schoneberger, T. Defining Verbal Behavior: Two Conflicting Approaches. Analysis Verbal Behav (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-025-00217-x
The author argues that, while the Skinnerian and RFT definitions of "verbal behavior" differ, they serve different purposes and are therefore not in conflict
The Psychological Record
6/23 de Moraes, A.T.P., Abreu-Rodrigues, J. Behavioral Variation in Individuals with a History of Alcohol Abuse. Psychol Rec (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-025-00648-x
In an analog task, alcoholics showed less variation in responding but were more sensitive to contingencies than a control group. When variation was subject to reinforcement, variation increased in both groups
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
6/27 Zare, S., Reihani, H., Sarvestani, R.T. et al. Effects of Citicoline in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Open-label Clinical Trial. J Autism Dev Disord (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-025-06936-3
Citicholine had no effect on behavior or cognition
Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science
6/25 Efficacy of ACT for Parents of Children with Special Health Care Needs: Preliminary Findings from Malaysia
(In press) A culturally-adapted ACT intervention improved several measures
Developmental of a checklist of transdiagnostic therapeutic skills for use in general healthcare appointments.
(In press) (The typo in the title is [sic]; we emailed the lead author but it was not changed by 6/28) An 18 item checklist was used to introduce ACT skills into primary care appointments, as people in lower income countries have less access to therapy
Book publications
Textbooks, handbooks, manuals, or mass-market
Upcoming:
AIM Navigators, Dixon (Pre-order)
A.I.M. Explorers Curriculum Book Volume 2 Mountain Climb, Dixon (Pre-order)
Handbook of Operant Behavioral Economics, Reed, Kaplan & Gilroy (Eds.)
New this quarter:
Ethical Decision Making in Applied Behavior Analysis, Schwartz & Kelly
Leadership and Management Practices in Human Services Organizations, Gardner et al.
Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis for Behavior Technicians and Other Practitioners, 4/E, Wallace & Mayer
Behavior Analysis for Lasting Change, 6/E, Mayer, Wallace, & Sulzer-Azaroff
Using Functional Analysis in Psychotherapy, Niklas Törneke
Handbook for Behavioral Skills Training, Edition 1, Sturmey & Maffei-Almodovar
Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd Edition), Bailey & Burch
Multiculturalism and Diversity in Applied Behavior Analysis: Bridging Theory and Application (2nd Edition), Conners & Capell (Eds.)
Talk Behavior to Me: The Routledge Dictionary of the Top 150 Behavior Analytic Terms and Translations, Samuel
The Behavior of Social Justice, Parks et al.
A Practical Guide to Functional Assessment and Treatment for Severe Problem Behavior, Jessel & Sturmey (Eds.)
Handbook of Organizational Performance, Volume II, D. Johnson & C. Johnson (Eds.)
Recent:
Podcasts
ABA Inside Track
Episode 314 - Tutorial: Working With an Interpreter
BAPcast
S8E7: All Things Must Pass: Termination of Services in Behavior Analysis with Matthew Lewon
Behavioral Observations
Using ABA to Build Better Health and Fitness Habits: Session 303 with Michal Pollack
Blogs
Generally these are produced by professionals
ABAI
What is the Color of the Sky? Reasons for Answering “Blue”
Not an easy answer
Steve Hayes
How Process-Based Tech Can Help Humanity Break the Grip of the WEIRD
If AI ever gets any good it could help people who have smartphones but without the means for a therapist, which is a lot of people in the developing world
Licensing & professional organizations
ASAN
Speak out now to save Protection & Advocacy agencies!
Business world
Autism services, behavioral health, etc.
A tumultuous month for autism researchers
Last week we mentioned that $50 whole million dollars (American!) were dangled in front of researchers willing to do (extremely narrow) research on ASD. Technically the government was cutting hundreds of millions from research budgets, even in ASD research – but still, $50 million! About that:
“One source I spoke with suggested there have been at least 100 applicants vying for a slice of the $50 million pot.
[...]
The uncertain future of federal autism research and the tumultuous early days for this initiative are affecting potential applicants.”
Grants as grifts?
Accidentally behavior analysis
A mainstream news article that relates to behavior analysis
For the Future of Water Conservation, Look to ... Los Angeles?, NYT
Throughout the 1970s, ABA publications were regularly showcasing innovative ways to increase public transportation, decrease electricity usage, and increase recycling. This is proven effective again and again, despite an overwhelming pessimism about personal and cultural behavior change. From 1990 to 2025, Los Angeles grew from 3.4 to 3.9 million, but decreased overall water usage (not just per capita) by about one third.
Changes have included:
Cultural expectations (watering lawns, washing cars, etc.)
Laws (taxing impermeable driveways)
Public education campaigns
Continuing education
UPCOMING:
BehaviorLive is back to posting free events: 7/3 (ETH), 7/8, 7/15, 7/17 (SUP), 7/22, 7/23, 7/29, 7/30
The “EABA Summer School series” is happening weekly, starting 7/8, and looks interesting.
Flashback
Does a chimpanzee have “ideas”?
As reported by our dear comrade Razran in 1961, Pavlov had a chimp for about 9 years, during which they engaged him in experiments. As we’ve written in the past, Pavlovian ideas dominated Russia for decades; most “behaviorist” experiments were on respondent behavior or on behavior chains. Raphael the chimp was trained in their lab to put out a flame by filling a cup from a jug. During a vacation on a lake sometime between 1938-1941, he learned to cool off by dipping a cup into the lake and pouring it on himself. When the flame apparatus was introduced, Raphael did not get a cup of water from the lake – he used a stick to cross platforms, filled a cup from the jug, and returned to extinguish the flame. This was viewed by Pavlov as “idealess” and used as evidence that, due to a lack of language, animals lacked “true ideation.”
These are great. Especially like the commentary for some. 🙏