Behavior Analysis Training System (BATS)

Here’s the problem…

In order for BATS to achieve high quality training, there are many complex things that

need to happen

As BATS has evolved…• We have found several problems and

opportunities

• So we have addedsubsystems to fix or exploit those problems

Program Structure• There are 11 subsystems in the Behavior

Analysis Training System• Each subsystem fulfills a different function

within the program• Subsystems are broken into 4 categories

– Supervisory Systems– 3 Credit PSY Course Teaching Systems– 1 – 2 Credit PSY Course Teaching Systems– Teaching Support Systems

Each system is comprised of:

• 2nd Year Master’s student • 1st Year

Master’s student

• 1-2 Undergraduate assistants

Responsibilities• 2nd year Master’s students:

– Train – Supervise– Pass down duties

• 1st year Master’s students:– Learn & gradually take over system– Find and solve problems within the system– Supervise undergrad assistant

• Undergraduate students:– Assist Master’s students – Write thesis

What kind of work is required?• At least 4 hours per week of system work

– Finding problems– Resolving problems– Fulfilling system duties

• Supervision of undergraduate students• Revisions of undergraduate theses*• Monthly Research & Development meetings

with Dr. Malott

Choosing your system!

• While you’re listening, remember….• You will be a part of the same system for both years in BATS• You’ll run the system with a 2nd years and an undergraduate • 4 hours of work per week

– Keeping the system running smoothly– Working on a research & development project that improves some

aspect of the system

• After the presentation rank the systems on a scale from 1-11– 1 = The system you’d MOST like to be a part of; #1 choice– 11 = The system you’d LEAST like to be a part of; your last choice

• Interrupt us if you have questions!

Now, on to the subsystems…

Behavior Analysis Training System (BATS)

Manager: Kristy Oddo

Here’s the problemThere are several things that

need to happen in order for our program to run smoothly.. So, as

a BATS 1st year, your responsibilities include….

(but are not limited to)

Interview Weekend• There are many applicants to the BATS

program each year• Someone needs to plan & facilitate all of

the events for such a large group of people

Integration of new cohortThere are many steps

involved in preparing the new cohort for the next two

years here at WMUAssisting with

class registration

Answer e-mails and phone calls

Put together the systems

presentation and assist with

system assignment

Organize training for each system

Run Weekly BATS MeetingsThere are several things that BATS members must do in order to prepare themselves for

entering the real world, such as:

Lifetime Memory Quizzes

Resumes & Vitas

Professional Conferences

Run Weekly BATS MeetingsThere are also several tasks that they must

complete in order to keep BATS running smoothly, such as:

Read this book!

Letters of recommendation

Social Validity Surveys

Alumni & Job DatabasesWe also keeps updated databases of our alumni

and job opportunities in ABA.

In Summary• We need a BATS subsystem to

– Assist our students from the beginning to the end of their time in BATS

– Ensure continuous quality improvement of the Behavior Analysis Training System

– Take care of business

Boot camp Graduation

In Summary

• What you’ll get out of being the BATS 1st year– ORGANIZATION– Get to know the 1st years– Social skills and professionalism training– A sense of responsibility

• Assist in bettering the state of BATS as a whole

Behavioral Research Supervisory System (BRSS)

Manager: Christine Gormont

Here’s the problemMasters students and

undergraduate assistants need performance management

contingencies to achieve continuous quality

improvement…

Task CompletionBRSS system managers verify task

completion of graduate and undergraduate students at the weekly meetings

RecruitmentWe recruit hard-working undergraduates to assist the graduate students with their

various research projects . We do this by: Reviewing applications Accept or decline

Interview Process

Project/Thesis PresentationsWe verify completion of undergraduate and

graduate writing assignments each week and organize the presentation of completed

projects/thesesUndergraduates Master Students

Conference postersVerify completion and printing of posters

for professional conferencesAssociation for Behavior Analysis

(ABA) Autism Chicago 2010

Human SubjectsInvestigative Research Board

BRSS is also responsible for training of the HSIRB policies and guidelines.

We ensure that each system and its members are in compliance with HSIRB policy.

We also ensure that all protocols are updated when necessary, completed, and submitted to the HSIRB for approval.

Conclusion

In this system you will be able to develop your organizational skills, system development skills, management skills, supervision skills, training skills, and much more.

BRSS is a well developed system with many established benefits, but we have recently made some major changes and updates.

If you join this system you can apply your creativity to the system in order to further its growth.

Project Performance Management System (PPMS)

Manager: Jon Timm

As 2nd years all BATS students are required to:

•Complete an Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) project

and…•Complete an autism research project

Projects Managed by PPMS• OBM Project

– 75 hour project– Gives you experience working

with the organizational issues you will encounter as professionals

• Autism Project– A mini research project– Presented at the Association for

Behavior Analysis Autism conference poster session

The Need for Supervision

• As degenerate MA students, we all need a little extra incentive to:Complete our long term projects on time Improve the quality of our long term projects

• PPMS provides the tools and supervision to make this possible!

OBM Project Responsibilities

• Weekly Task Verification• Maintaining record of completed hours• Revisions of student work• Assist students having trouble with components

of the project and OBM tools• Hold monthly supervision meetings

ABA Autism Project Responsibilities• Distribute assignments and deadlines • Verify task completion • Assist in finding resources for

completing project • Critique posters and

make editing suggestions to meet Dr. Malott’sstandards

If you become the 1st year PPMS manager you will:

•Help contribute improvements to a growing system•Gain experience in OBM •Get a good idea on what will be expected for your projects in your 2nd year

Pre-Practicum System

Manager: Julie Sanchez

Here’s the problemStudents needed some

training before they entered the practicum setting, so the

Pre-Practicum system was developed to…

Teach Students DTTWeekly role-playing with

the undergraduate assistant to perfect DTT techniques

Provide BackgroundA weekly seminar with readings and

information about the Croyden Avenue School and KAC and the practicum classroom procedures

Get Students to the Practicum Sites

We require that all Pre-Practicum students make five visits where they will…

• Get a tour of Croyden Avenue School• Observe other practicum students•Work one-on-one with a child• Take data

Transition Smoothly

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Not At All Very Comfortable

How Comfortable Did You Feel The First Day At Croyden?

With Pre-Prac

No Pre-Prac

What We Have Been Doing This Year

• Creating Video Model Presentations

• Summer Pre-Prac Bootcamp ©

• Revamping Our Recruitment Process

Did You Catch That?• The preference assessment • Delivered book < 3secs• Excited tone

Did You Catch That?

• The preference assessment • Delivered book < 3secs• Excited tone

What Will We Be Doing?Teaching Seminar

• One and a Half Hours, Twice a Week Beginning Half Way Through the Semester

• Give Quizzes• Lecture• Role Play

c

What Will We Be Doing?Coordinating Pre-Prac Visits

• Coordinate Visits• Model and Give Feedback

What Can We Work On This Year?

Continuous Quality Improvement!

• Update Current Materials• Update System Protocols• Maybe Push Harder For The Autism Preliminary

Practicum BootCamp ©???

Intermediate Practicum System

Manager: Taylor Barker

Here is the Problem…

– There was a need for a practicum to transition students from the basic to the advanced level

He is definitely not ready for the Advanced

Practicum

Course Material– Our course material must be continuously

updated to:– Keep students up to date with current research

and – Teach best practice standards

– We are continuously updating the curriculum, but the students are always asking for more

Course Material– Some of the course material that has

been added in past semesters

Writing and revising hypothetical DTT

procedures

Functional Assessment

unit

Autism in the Media

Project

Supervision– Responsibilities of the Graduate Student

Instructor for the Intermediate Practicum:

Grade assignments and quizzes

Provide feedback during

one-on-one’s w/undergraduates

Give feedback & supervision

on final projects

Advanced Practicum System

Manager: Amanda Smith

Here’s the problem…

So on the 54,984,323,188,752nd day, God created the Advanced Practicum

We provide our students with…

More Experience• Our students get to:

– Gain another semester of experience and supervision at Croyden and the Center

– Act as role models for the Basic and IP students

• Which means our managers:– Spend all semester at

Croyden and the Center– Gain even more experience– Serve as role models in and

out of the booth

More Involvement• Our students will:

– Author an original procedure for a child

– Train tutors in the implementation of that procedure

– Write a sub-phase or complete a mini-project

• The managers will:– Provide constant

feedback on procedures– Train your students on

how to properly train other tutors

– Find acceptable opportunities

Opportunities to Spread Knowledge

• At the end of the semester each student will:– Have completed a final

paper– Present a PowerPoint

to everyone in the practica

• So as the semester progresses you will have to:– Give frequent

feedback on each paper

– Critique and rehearse each presentation several times

Useful Information• Don’t forget about our weekly seminar!

– You will run this 2 hour seminar once per week– We cover a wide variety of topics– First and foremost is procedure discussion and

feedback– But we also discuss:

• Functional Assessments• Discrete Trial Training• Other types of therapies• And so much more!

The Kalamazoo Autism Center (KAC) System

Manager: Kristin Loeffler

How it all began• In the Fall of 2008, Dr. Malott and his graduate

students opened the KAC serving two children with autism.

• Since then, we have expanded to eight children!

So…

Here’s the problem NEW PRACTICUM SITE = MORE PEOPLE!

At KAC, we…• Provide behavioral

treatment

• Train WMU undergraduate students to administer this treatment

• Continuously revise our materials and training

Roles of the first year M.A. Student• Grading for all of the

undergraduate practicum students

• Prepare seminar materials• Continuously update materials• Recruit tutors and children to

attend KAC• Help train tutors

Some things we are currently working on

• Recruiting for more practicum students and children

• Creating training materials

• Involving parents

So, here’s the deal…• Since this is a brand new system, we

have lots of room for cool, new ideas from YOU!

Language Facilitation Training System (LFTS):Icon Exchange

Communication SystemManager: Jennie Shooltz

What is the Icon Exchange?

• Based off of Frost and Bondy’s 1994 Picture Exchange Communication System(PECS)

• Teaches children with little to no functional communication how to communicate using pictures

A Look into the Procedure

Here’s the Problem• More focus is needed on the Icon Exchange

procedures and supervision in our classroom• We need a system to:

-Help integrate the Icon Exchange into daily activities in the classroom

-Work out the problems in a systematic manner

Train Tutors• We train Graduate and

Undergraduate tutors to implement the icon exchange

A slide from our training PowerPoint

Train Supervisors

Monitoring form

-We training supervisors to monitor Icon Exchange sessions and answer questions

Tutor: ______________ Child: ______________ Start Date: ____________ End:______________ General Items - (take off ½ a point for every time the tutor does not do this)Tutor: ______________ Child: ______________ Start Date: ____________ End:______________ General Items - (take off ½ a point for every time the tutor does not do this)

Answer Questions• Training tutors cannot cover all problems that

could occur during the Icon Exchange

• Supervisors who monitor sessions are frequently asked difficult questions and relay them back to our system for a final answer

• We then integrate this information into our training to help solve the problems

Assist with Procedural Issues• Classroom procedures can be difficult to alter• And, not everyone is as comfortable with the icon

exchange as our system managers are• We work directly with the children to work out

difficulties and “fix” the problem

Materials And Protocols• We are constantly improving our procedures and

creating new procedures to fix problems

• We integrate questions and problems into our training, manual, and materials

A visit from Dr. Bondy (creator of PECS), gave us many ideas of things to improve

Language Facilitation Training System (LFTS):

Vocal Verbal BehaviorManager: Brittain Coleman

Here are the problems• We need to:

– Ensure that all of our children are receiving a vocal assessment

– Determine what vocal procedures our children need– Make sure they are implemented correctly

Training• We train and supervise graduate students to

administer the language assessment • The training program needs to be

continuously administered and evaluated

Language Assessment • We administer the language assessment and

present the results to the classroom teachers

We are the classroom teachers

• New vocal procedures need to be developed

• The language assessment needs continuous revision

Self-ManagementManager: Dru MillerwiseWhy hello there.

May I interest you in a revolution!?!? … Please don’t

leave…

Myth or Truth?Students who do not study for their exams are lazy and incompetent.

Students don’t hand in their homework because they do not care about their future.

“C” students will always be “C” students.

Myth or Truth?Liberal education often fails to consider effective performance management strategies.

Self-ManagementSelf-Management was developed to provide extra support for students who need help completing their academic assignments.

Every week students sign a contract that lists the assignments they plan on accomplishing.

The following week, they must show proof that they completed those tasks in order to receive credit.

Self-ManagementSelf-Management “raises the bar” and holds students to a higher standard than most traditional courses. In order to receive an “A”, students must complete at least 97% of the tasks they assign themselves. We don’t rest until every student is achieving his or her goals.

Roles of the MA StudentTeach the Self-Management Course

• Run classroom discussion• Provide one-on-one supervision to students• Grade homework assignments• Handle student issues• Research new and innovative ways to battle procrastination

Procrastination

Self-Management

Roles of the MA StudentCreate and revise course material

• Develop programmed instruction• Develop creative ways to teach self-

management skills• Orchestrate the online component of the class

Online component

Not my purse

Roles of the MA StudentFacilitate the Growth of Red Facial Hair

I feel like something

is… missing?

Roles of the MA StudentFacilitate the Growth of Red Facial Hair

YARGH, that be much better!!!

The Good NewsSelf-Management is unique because it is a teaching system.

With the help of Dr. Malott, MA students make all of the decisions about the course.

The system is young; therefore, MA students have much input on the future direction of the course.

We work hard and have fun!

The Good News

We work hard… …and have fun!

Grad School Prep (GRE)Manager: Tareyn Moss

Here’s the problem…•Undergraduate students are waiting until the last minute to study for the GRE and to get everything together for grad school applications.•The procrastination devil is inside us all!

Weekly Seminar• There are 2 sections of the GRE Prep course in

which we check student tasks as well as announce any student opportunities for valuable experiences such as:

Psi Chi The Writing CenterProfessional Conferences

Grading• In seminar, students show

proof of task completion. Tasks include GRE practice tests and graduate school application material.

• Students are then quizzed over math and verbal material.

Research Study Techniques

•It is important to research the best study techniques so we can better prepare students for the GRE.

Whoa…I think I found something.

Update/Develop Course Material

• As we continue to evaluate the system, materials for students are updated and additional tools are added to make studying for the GRE and applying for grad school less stressful!

Whoa…I think Please help our stress levels!!!

Questions or Comments?