Autism Conference

Molly Dubuque, MA, BCBA, LBA (KY) earned her master’s degree in psychology (with an emphasis in behavior analysis) from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2008.  She has over 20 years of experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities in the United States and overseas. Through her work in universities and clinical settings, Molly has supervised over 100 trainees who are now Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Molly is the Vice President of Clinical Standards and Outcomes at LittleStar ABA Therapy.  In this role, she develops professional development sequences for staff and clinical processes for patients to ensure that both have a clear path for achieving their best outcome. Molly serves on the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and has served as a board member for the Nevada and Kentucky Associations for Behavior Analysis.  Her professional interests include practitioner training, supervision, and the behavioral treatment of developmental disabilities.

Kristin Hustyi, MA, BCBA, LBA (MI, KY) currently serves as Vice President of Research and Development for LittleStar ABA Therapy. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Western Michigan University and her master’s at University of the Pacific. After completing her graduate program, she spent the next several years working as a research coordinator at Stanford University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research (CIBSR). She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and has presented research at conferences nationwide on topics ranging from the application of behavior analysis to health and fitness, to the behavioral and neuropathological underpinnings of severe problem behavior commonly shown by children diagnosed with autism, fragile X syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome. Prior to joining LittleStar, Kristin served as the National Director of Outcomes for Invo Healthcare. Kristin is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and an active member of ABAI’s Health, Sport, and Fitness Special Interest Group.

Abstract

Since the addition of assent in the BACB’s Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts in 2022, many researchers and practitioners have explored various ways to incorporate assent into service delivery. However, the nuance required to identify the behaviors associated with assent and assent withdrawal may serve as a barrier within the tiered-service delivery model employed by many organizations. Indices of happiness and unhappiness can be used to aid in discrimination of assent and assent-withdrawal behaviors across patients of all levels. By operationally defining these behaviors and taking repeated measures, the behavior analyst managing the case can adjust programming to increase indices of happiness. Furthermore, a decision-making rubric can be provided to the behavior technicians to guide their ongoing treatment when the patient withdraws assent. This workshop will guide participants through the steps of developing an organization-wide system for identifying, measuring, and responding to emotional indices as a measure of assent and assent withdrawal. Emphasis will be placed on the value of happiness as a direct measure of quality of life that is critical for the health of the field in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

Objectives

At the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe at least one way that emotional indices can be used to identify assent and assent-withdrawal behavior.
2. Design measurement procedures to evaluate emotional indices across patients within an organization.
3. Develop a decision-making tool to guide behavior technicians through treatment when a patient withdraws assent.
4. Describe at least one way that indices of happiness can be used to communicate quality of life as an outcome measure of ABA treatment.

Instructional Level

Basic

Workshop Format

Lecture, Practice, Scenarios Discussion

Proposed Audience

Behavior Analysts, Psychologists, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field

Robin Arnall, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA has 15+ years of experience in Applied Behavior Analysis.  She started in the field as an autism specialist and implementer for behavior analytic services. Throughout her field experience, Dr. Arnall has worked with varied ages (aged 2-elder adult) and diagnostics such as autism, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, and others. She has also implemented and created therapeutic interventions in specialized school settings, educational settings, clinics, community locations, homes, residential settings, volunteer sites and vocational settings, and others. She has also been an instructor and professor in multiple behavior analysis programs for several years, teaching a wide range of subjects. Dr. Arnall has research experience in the areas of TAGteach, sports research, stimulus equivalence, visual impairment, social justice and behavior analysis reform, ableism, political behavior and studies, and others. She is neurodivergent (AuDHD) and is passionate about incorporating compassionate practice to research, aiming for better standards of care and practice. She chairs and serves on committees to help reform research practice and support student research projects.

Alexandra Elfers, MS, BCBA, COBA, LBA (they/them) is a queer, deaf, autistic, ADHD-er who is otherwise multiply disabled. Alexandra originally studied Physics, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 2013. Since then, they have worked in education, across a variety of settings and roles, including time spent tutoring math and English in China. They are currently pursuing their doctoral degree in behavior analysis. They bring their own experiences learning to navigate society as autistic while rejecting neuro-normativity. They are passionate about challenging the ableist and oppressive structures within the field of behavior analysis, and empowering clients to access accommodations and needs in their environments. Alexandra is dedicated to working towards a future where we know what non-traumatized Autistic people look like. They are in this field for harm reduction and to dismantle it from the inside such that disabled voices have equitable access to providing peer support within the structures currently available for care provision. They utilize ABA not as the “autism therapy” it is known as, but as a measurement tool for a humanistic and collective approach to supporting reasonably distressed people. They are also an Ukeru Certified Trainer and regularly support clients and staff in navigating distress behaviors from a trauma-assumed lens.

Abstract

In behavior analytic services, assessment and skill building are necessary parts of the therapy process. Historical approaches to these areas have not always addressed some of the ethical responsibilities of behavior analysts such as the awareness of biases, performance monitoring and feedback, and evaluating the effects of supervision and training. In addition, the focus of programming has been on independence and compliance instead of autonomy, which is necessary for learners to lead self-driven and meaningful lives. In this presentation, the authors of the Empowering Autonomy: A Skills Assessment Protocol will review the process of using the EA: ASAP and what the protocol is, identifying skills focused on building autonomy for learners through descriptions and examples, how to self-assess skills needed for building learner autonomy, and how to use social validity measures to support learner outcomes.

Objectives

At the completion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Define “autonomy”.
2. State at least one reason of importance in focusing on autonomy for learners.
3. Identify at least one autonomy building skill for leaners they support.
4. Demonstrate the use of the Empowering autonomy: ASAP
5. Identify at least one reason why fostering autonomy relates to writing socially valid plans of care.

Instructional Level

Intermediate

Workshop Format

Lecture, Discussion

Proposed Audience

Behavior Analysts, Psychologists, Educators, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field

Sneha Kohli Mathur, Ph.D., BCBA considers herself an ally to the disAbility and Autism communities and started Spectrum Success to support individuals on the autism spectrum, while educating neurotypicals on how to create a socially inclusive community. Sneha is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology, and a doctorate degree in Education and Disability Studies. What makes Sneha’s research, teaching, and consulting unique is her expertise in two very distinct areas, applied behavior analysis and disabilities studies. She can layout behaviorally supported practices within a caring social-model context. Sneha is a faculty in the Psychology department of the University of Southern California (USC), where she teaches Master level courses in Applied Behavior Analysis, and undergraduate courses related to Autism and Neurodiversity. Sneha is also the Faculty Advisor to the Best Buddy Club at USC, in which USC students’ mentor autistic participants. She has been invited to speak all over the country, and recently published a book, Understanding the Lived Experiences of Autistic Adults, which she co-authored with an Autistic Adult. Sneha has also worked with colleges to develop and implement autism support programs to maximize the success of college students with ASD. She works with both the students as well as faculty and staff, in order to maximize a positive college experience. Ultimately, Sneha’s work centers on increasing the quality of life for individuals with Autism, and her future-focused approach allows her to help individuals build long-term success.

Adam Valerius co-authored Understanding the Lived Experiences of Autistic Adults with Sneha Kohli Mathur.

Abstract

Present research on sleep and sleep deprivation in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will be presented. The talk will review the basic neurobiology of sleep including sleep stages, brain circuits, and developmental phases. Sleep in people with ASD will be discussed and how it is similar and different from other groups of people.  The talk will then focus on how sleep can be disrupted in people with ASD and the health conditions that share co-morbidity with sleep dysregulation in ASD. Research will be reviewed regarding the basic operant functions affected by sleep deprivation and how these behavioral processes relate to challenging behaviors like self-injury and aggression. Implications for conducting functional behavior assessments of challenging behavior and the design of behavior support plans will then be discussed.  A review of sleep hygiene best practices for increasing the likelihood of good sleep will also be reviewed.

Objectives

At the completion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. State at least one of the support needs of autistic adults.
2. Identify at least one way to apply the social model of disability within ABA treatment.
3. Describe at least one way to center the voices of autistic adults in treatment planning and delivery.

Instructional Level

Basic

Workshop Format

Lecture, Discussion

Proposed Audience

Behavior Analysts, Psychologists, Educators, Social Workers, Paraprofessionals, Parents/Caregivers, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field, Autistic individuals

Megan Boyle, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA (NY) is the AVP of Applied Research at Upstate Caring Partners, where she guides applied and clinically driven research to improve the lives of students and residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the staff who serve them. She received her master’s degree in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and organizational behavior management from Florida Institute of Technology and her PhD from Utah State University in disability disciplines, with an emphasis in ABA. She is a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst and previously served as faculty in the Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Special Education at Missouri State University. Megan specializes in the assessment and treatment of severe behavior of individuals with autism, and her research agenda focuses on elopement, behavioral contrast, refining methods of functional analysis, functional communication training, schedule thinning, and evaluating aspects of practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavioral Interventions, Behavior Modification, Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Behavioral Development, and The Psychological Record.

Abstract

Elopement is common among autistic children and adolescents and is one of the most stressful forms of interfering behavior reported by caregivers. Elopement can have devastating outcomes, including death, most often because of traffic accidents or incidents with bodies of water. Advocates and specialists have developed a variety of preventive, mitigative, and behavioral strategies to address elopement. This talk will provide an overview of these strategies, recommendations for practice, and directions for future research.

Objectives

At the completion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. State at least one impact of elopement.
2. Identify at least one of the behavioral interpretations of the causes of elopement.
3. Describe at least one of each of the following for addressing elopement: preventative, litigative, and behavioral strategies.

Instructional Level

Intermediate

Workshop Format

Lecture

Proposed Audience

Behavior Analysts, Psychologists, Educators, Paraprofessionals, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field