Clinical Applications for Applied Behavior Analysis Nathan Call, Ph.D., BCBA.

Clinical Applications for Applied Behavior Analysis

Nathan Call, Ph.D., BCBA

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Applied Behavior Analysis

Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Applied• Behavioral• Analytic• Technological• Conceptually Systematic• Effective• Generalizable

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Applied Behavior Analytic ResearchApplied Behavior Analytic Research

(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Applied

“Teaching teenagers with autism to seek assistance when lost”

“Teaching safety skills to children to prevent gun play”

“Delay discounting by pathological gamblers” “Social antecedents of children’s eyewitness

testimony” “A half century of scalloping in the work habits

of the United States Congress”

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(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Behavioral

More concerned with what people can be brought to do than what they can be brought to say

• Analytic A believable demonstration of the events

responsible for the occurrence or non-occurrence of the behavior in question

Demonstrate a functional relationship (or the closest approximation thereof): necessary & sufficient

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(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Technological

Given a reading of a description of the methods, could a typically trained reader replicate the procedure well enough to produce the same results?

• Conceptual Systems Descriptions of procedures are relevant to

behavioral principles Shows the reader how similar procedures may be

derived from basic principles

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(Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968)• Effective

Must produce large enough effects for practical value

What is enough?– How much did that behavior need to change?

• Generality Durable over time Appears in a wide variety of possible

environments Spreads to a wide variety of related behaviors

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A Day in the Life of a Behavior AnalystA Day in the Life of a Behavior Analyst

Universities• Professors, researchers

Education• Consultants, school psychologists, special

educators Industry

• Safety/efficiency consultants, sports psychologists, military consultants

Private practice psychologists• Counselors, parent training specialists

Healthcare• Pediatric and developmental psychologists

Miscellaneous• animal trainers, social behavior specialists

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Animal predation center Center for disabilities and development Pediatric specialties clinics Louisiana State University Marcus Autism Center

A Day in the Life of this Behavior A Day in the Life of this Behavior AnalystAnalyst

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Behavior Problems with a History of Successful Treatment by Behavior Analytic Interventions

Phobias Obsessive-compulsive disorder Speech delays Paraphillias Self injury Aggression Property destruction Pica Conduct disorders (i.e., juvenile delinquency) Eneurisis/econpresis Inattention/impulsivity Feeding disorders Rumination

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Treating Problem Behavior

Starts with an assessment of the reinforcers that maintain the behavior• Indirect assessment• Descriptive analysis• Experimental analysis

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Skills Successfully Taught Using Applied Behavior Analytic Approaches

Language Academics Self-help Vocational Safety Social

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Total Problem Behavior Problem Behavior During Breaks

Demand

Demand with items (unavailable)Demand with items

(available)

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Autism: Speech/Language

An overall deficit in language• Can be both receptive or expressive, for others it is limited

to expressive delays Some kids who learn language do so slower, with

comprehension difficulties, and continued problems with “pragmatic” communication

Abnormal prosody, echolalia/scripting, pronoun reversals, etc.• 4 types of verbal operants

Echoic Tact Mand Intraverbal

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Verbal Operants

Mand• MO----Mand---Specific Reinforcer

Tact• Nonverbal---Tact---Generalized Reinforcer

Intraverbal• Verbal---Intraverbal---Generalized Reinforcer

Example• “Truck”

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Functional Categories of Verbal Behavior

Echoic- Verbal to verbal behavior with point-to-point correspondence. (i.e., verbal Imitation-repeating exactly what is heard). Used to shape articulation, or later on, more complex language abilities.

• Example-

Instructor: “Ball.”

Student: “Ball.”

Instructor: “ahh.”

Student: “ahh.”

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Echoic Controlling Variables

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Verbal Stimulus Verbal Behavior Generalized R+

“Ball” “Ball” “Nice talking”

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Tact- Verbal behavior in the presence of a nonverbal stimulus. Naming something (item, person, action, emotion), or a property of something which is present.

• Example-Child: (looking up at sky) “Airplane!”

Instructor: (holding red ball) “What color is this?”Student: “Red.”

Student: (On swing set)Instructor: “What are you doing?”Student: “Swinging.”

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Tact Controlling Variables


Nonverbal Stimulus Verbal Behavior Generalized R+

Picture of Ball “Ball” “Yes, that is a ball”

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Intraverbal- Verbal to Verbal behavior that does not have point-to-point correspondence. Answering “Wh” questions or responding to something said by another person about something (item, person, action…), or a property of something which is NOT present. It’s a conversational exchange.

• Examples-“Name some animals.” “Cat, dog and chicken.”“What is your sister’s name?” “Anne.”“What does a dog say?” “Woof.”

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Intraverbal Controlling Variables


Verbal Stimulus Verbal Behavior Generalized R+

“What does a dog say” “Woof Woof” “That’s right”

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Mand- Verbal behavior in the presence of an establishing operation. A request for something (item, activity, information) that is desired.

• Example- “I want juice.” “Open the door.” “Where is my coat?”

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Mand Controlling Variables


EO Verbal Behavior Specific to the EO

Food Deprivation “I want chips” Chips

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Verbal Stimulus Echoic Generalized R+

Nonverbal Stimulus Tact Generalized R+

Verbal Stimulus Intraverbal Generalized R+

EO Mand Specific to EO

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No Attention

Therapist Attention

Aloof Condition

No Attention

Therapist Attention

Passive Condition

No Attention

Therapist Attention

Active Condition

Aloof Passive ActiveActive

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Total Problem Behavior Problem Behavior During Breaks

Demand

Demand with items (unavailable)Demand with items

(available)

Clinical Applications for Applied Behavior Analysis Nathan Call, Ph.D., BCBA.

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