Presented by:  Robert Shapiro, Ph.D., Behavior Analyst 

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Devereux
60 Miles Road
Rutland, MA  01543
508-886-4746, ext. 314

Audience: Clinical practitioners with children and/or adults, especially those with autism spectrum disorders. 

Description: This program focuses on theories of human behavior, and the specific impact that environmental variables (including socially-mediated variables) have on human behavior.  It provides a clear definition of applied behavior analysis and provides information regarding functional assessment, basic behavioral principles, and behavior change tactics based on these principles.  This knowledge enables practitioners to effectively evaluate the rationale for, and soundness of, interventions designed to affect behavioral change. 

1. Participants will be able to state the definition of applied behavior analysis, including differences between methodological and radical behaviorism.
2. Participants will be able to state the four basic variables that maintain behavior, and give the rationale for basing interventions on the function of behavior.
3. Participants will be able to identify and define 3 basic behavioral principles, as well as at least one behavior change tactic based on each principle.

Course Outline:

I Overview of Applied Behavior Analysis

A. Definition of Applied Behavior Analysis

B. History of Applied Behavior Analysis

i. Watson Methodological Behaviorism

ii. Skinner Radical Behaviorism

II Functional Behavior Assessment

1. Three-term contingency
1. Antecedent
2. Behavior
3. Consequence
2. Maintaining Variables
1. Attention
2. Escape
3. Tangibles
4. Sensory

III Basic Behavioral Principles

1. Respondent Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning
1. Reinforcement Positive and Negative
2. Punishment Positive and Negative
3. Extinction

IV Behavior Change Tactics

1. Based on Reinforcement
2. Based on Punishment
3. Based on Extinction

Baer, D.M., Wolf, M.M., & Risley, T.R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied  Behavior Analysis, 1, 91-97. 

Cooper, J.O., Heron, T.E., & Heward, W.L. (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis. Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. 

Sugai, G., Horner, R.H., & Sprague, J.R. (1999). Functional-assessment-based behavioral support planning: Research to  practice to research. Behavioral Disorders, 24 (3), 253-257.