ABA this week
02/11/24-02/17/24
Scholarly publications
Includes peer reviewed journals within and adjacent to behavior analysis
(Starred journals available to BCBAs through the BACB portal)
Behavior Analysis in Practice
2/15 Morris, C., Jones, S.H. & Oliveira, J.P. A Practitioner’s Guide to Measuring Procedural Fidelity. Behav Analysis Practice (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00910-8
I don't even need to summarize this one. Nothing I need to say. Don’t even need three sentences, really
Behavioral Interventions *
2/15 Anderson, J., & Kenaston-Manasseh, L. (2024). Environmental restoration as a reinforcer in ritualistic contexts. Behavioral Interventions, e2001. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.2001
An FA did the usual conditions, plus "replacing items" in the environment (without giving them to the person)
Behavior and Social Issues
2/12 Tagliabue, M., Łęgosz-Tagliabue, I.K. Culturo-Behavioral Contributions to a Sustainable Market: The Interplay of Producers’ and Consumers’ Practices. Behav. Soc. Iss. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-024-00159-4
(Open access) Essentially a description of a phenomenon in Norway known as "the green shift," involving systems of nudges, boosts, incentives, etc.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior *
2/11 Frampton, S. E., & Linehan, E. (2024). The effects of a training package to teach note taking on the formation of equivalence classes. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.903
(Open access) Students were taught a note-taking strategy with a video with voice over, plus feedback. Participants were able to use the strategy with familiar and unfamiliar stimuli
The Analysis of Verbal Behavior
2/12 Kim, J.Y. Delayed Consequences in General Education through the Lenses of Delay Discounting and Verbal Behavior. Analysis Verbal Behav (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-024-00202-w
There is a correlation between what is, essentially, high verbal ability (incidental bi-directional naming) and delay discounting. There is not a correlation between academic achievement and delay discounting in this study
Thomas, J., Fleming, W. & Hayes, L.J. Relations between Verbal Self-Stimulation, Stimulus Modality, and Accuracy in an Operant Task. Analysis Verbal Behav (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-024-00201-x
Mediating responses (e.g., repeating numbers to oneself) are important in recall tasks. In this task, there was a component where after being given a phone number, participants typed it normally or "masked," where key presses produced the same number each time. Recall was improved when the numbers were not masked
The Psychological Record
2/13 Pelaez, M., Novak, G. Language Development and Behavioral Systems. Psychol Rec (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-023-00578-6
The authors argue that language development in children is essentially a complex system of millions of contingent interactions
Plazas, E.A. Exploratory Study of Equivalence under Conjoint Select and Reject Control. Psychol Rec (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-023-00579-5
(Open access) The authors follow up on an idea from Sidman about select and reject control. Sidman implied that these relations should interfere with forming equivalence relations; the authors find that reject, but not select, interferes
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
2/11 May, R.J., Salman, H., O’Neill, S.J. et al. Exploring the Use of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in Special Education Settings. J Autism Dev Disord (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06194-1
PECS is great, but people don't have training and sometimes don't even understand it
2/17 Chazin, K.T., Ledford, J.R., Wilson-Moses, J.M. et al. Centering Autistic Perspectives: Social Acceptability of Goals, Learning Contexts, and Procedures for Young Autistic Children. J Autism Dev Disord (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06242-4
People like goals focused on "self-determination," but not masking. People like antecedent interventions, but not extinction
Journal of Behavioral Education
2/12 Ray, J.E., Panahon, C.J., Hilt-Panahon, A. et al. Evaluating the Effects of Tootling When Implemented in Special Education Classrooms. J Behav Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-024-09544-w
Tootling (like tattling, but when students report each other only for "positive" behaviors) in a special ed classroom increased on-task behavior, decreased disruptive behavior, but did not effect prosocial behavior
Podcasts
ABA Inside Track
Episode 267 - (LISTENER CHOICE) Preventing Burnout
Behavioral Observations
How To Disseminate Behavior-Analytic Technologies: Inside Jaba 18 With Dorothea Lerman
Blogs
Generally these are produced by professionals
ABAI
Amassing the Atoms of Happiness
Tom Critchfield asks: are we wrong about human relationships?
Licensing & professional organizations
ACBS
ACBS website has a new look
The SEED Model for ACT Supervision - a free ebook
I like free. Find the book here
ASAT
How can families of individuals with Rett Syndrome plan for care as their child ages?
ASAN
ASAN’s Response to the IACC RFI on Co-Occurring Conditions
OBM Network
OBM Network Conference Registration Open April 11-12, 2024 in Houston, Texas (In-person & Live streaming)
Some great speakers; $160 for 12 CEUs
Business world
Autism services, behavioral health, etc.
Merakey, Elwyn Call Off Deal to Create $1B Organization
A story about 2 large nonprofits failing to merge includes a discussion of the pressures facing care providers
Biden Initiatives Dampen Behavioral Health Deals, But ABA Therapy Remains Hot Target
The Biden administration is targeting "corporate greed" in healthcare, but fortunately for my private equity bros, they're leaving ABA alone for now. Also CentralReach bought out a SEL company
Accidentally behavior analysis
A mainstream news article that relates to behavior analysis
The Argument Over a Long-Standing Autism Intervention, The New Yorker
Many articles like this fundamentally misunderstand ABA, and often don’t appear to have contacted anyone. This article has a pretty good balance, speaking to advocates on both sides of the issue, as well as parents. The part that stands out to me is a parent who dislikes ABA, but respects the field for attempting to work with her child when nobody else will.
Continuing education
UPCOMING:
BehaviorLive has a list of events, some of which are free: 2/22, 2/28
Flashback
JABA and JEAB were weirder in 2013
The JABA/JEAB website dates back to at least 2004, when a subscription was $30/year, but the snapshot from 2013 is a web 1.0 trove of stretched jpegs.