Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM)

Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan

BAAM 2013 Convention
Thursday & Friday, February 21-22, 2013

"Happy Birthday! 100 Years of Behavior Analysis"

Conference Schedule

BAAM 2013 Keynote Speaker

Jay Moore
(University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)

Conceptual Issues in a Science of Behavior from Watson to Skinner

As part of our celebration of 100 years of Behavior Analysis, Professor Moore's Keynote address will examine the relation between John B. Watson’s classical behaviorism and several important conceptual issues from our contemporary behavior analysis: Watson’s positions on behavior as a subject matter in its own right, private behavioral events, anti-mentalism, pragmatism, the importance of a behavioral account of verbal behavior, and social activism according to behavioral principles.

BAAM 2013 Special Guest Speaker

Edward K. Morris
(University of Kansas)

History of Applied Behavior Analysis: Its Founding Publications

Autism-Related Workshops

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Topics in a Behavioral Approach to Autism Treatment

Mark L. Sundberg

This workshop is designed for attendees who are already familiar with the basics of Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior (e.g., mand, tact, and intraverbal), the VB-MAPP assessment tool, and ABA/VB intervention procedures. A variety of advanced topics will be presented during workshop including, what constitutes a behavioral approach to autism treatment, analyzing and overcoming learning barriers, developing vocal skills for non-vocal children, complex discrimination skills involving both verbal and nonverbal conditional discriminations, social behavior, multiple control, and other issues that face children in Levels 2 & 3 of the VB-MAPP.

The ADOS: How Can the Diagnostic Report Inform My Treatment?

Susan Risi & Caitlyn Sorensen
(Eastern Michigan University)

The newly passed Autism insurance legislation in Michigan requires an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) evaluation for diagnosis to receive services. Although, this is not new to the field, there may be increasing need to use the evaluation to inform treatment with the insurance mandate. This introduction to the ADOS will cover the theory, history, psychometric, and administration details or the test, with a special focus on how each activity in the ADOS elicits certain behaviors specific to autism spectrum disorder. There will be an emphasis on behaviors that are specific to treatment usefulness and how any behavioral excesses or deficits will be presented in a typical clinical report. Mock reports will be used to facilitate learning and provide experiential practice, including how to integrate results from the ADOS with other psychometric data to inform treatment. This workshop is not intended to train or provide any level of reliability on the administration or scoring of the ADOS, although knowledge of autism and some aspects of administration are necessary to earn how to interpret the results.

"Clever Hands"

Verbal behavior buffs, try this in class. It shows the power of immediate verbal stimulus control over delayed control:

In-Class Experiment on Instructional Control & Observer Bias

This experiment is also an excellent demonstration of unconscious cueing or bias. It shows how difficult it is for observers to avoid biasing an outcome despite trying.

Wegner, D.W., Fuller, V.A., & Sparrow, B. (2003). Clever hands: Uncontrolled intelligence in facilitated communication. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 5–19. (PDF)

"Rubber Hands"

Stroke a rubber hand with a laser pointer light. If the fake hand is positioned such that the subject believes it is their own hand, over 60% "feel" the light, mostly where the fake hand is.

Behavior analysts: This is a very nice demonstration of "conditioned feeling." It demonstrates that private sensations are conditioned like other responses. The stimulus control over the response is so strong that the subject actually locates the source of stimulation outside the body, not where the subject's hand actually is, but where the light is!

Durgin, F.H. et al. (2007). Rubber hands feel the touch of light. Psychological Science, 18(2), 152-157 (PDF)

BAAM Movies: ABA in Natural Settings

Now available for viewing on mobile web browsers including iPhone and iPod Touch!

Take a look at BAAM's new video series, "Applied Behavior Analysis in Natural Settings." This series of 32 video vignettes shows how ABA is applied in natural settings to promote more effective teaching and generalization of skills.

Designed primarily for parents and new professionals, each video includes a brief descriptive introduction and a detailed explanation of the important elements of each teaching interaction. BAAM has also provided an overview of ABA and glossary of basic behavioral terms to help those new to ABA appreciate the technical details of the presentations. A technical assistance page will guide those few who might not already have a compatible web-browser*. Although these videos are not designed to teach therapeutic techniques, they will provide an appreciation for the range of settings and circumstances in which high-quality ABA teaching can and should occur.

*All videos require a Quicktime compatible viewer or web browser.

All videos and related material are for personal use only. The videos and related materials may not be downloaded, re posted, distributed, collected, or used for any commercial purpose without the expressed written permission of BAAM.

Become a "Virtual Member"
of BAAM

Virtual membership page

BAAM Statement of Purpose

The Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan has been organized to support and promote scientific research on the basic principles of behavior and the extension of those principles to create demonstrably effective and humane outcome-based therapies with the primary goal of establishing and enhancing functional independent living skills.

Applied Behavior Analysis

What is ABA? It is the use of laboratory- and application-tested learning principles to teach important academic, social, and life skills.

Is ABA proven? ABA is not an untested "theory" being sold in advance of scientific validation. Applied behavior analysis is based directly on scientific findings. If you need the new behavior to persist, ABA therapists know how to use special schedules of reinforcement--proven in the lab for over 75 years--to make that happen. If you need the newly learned behavior to work at home and school, ABA therapists know how to use scientific knowledge about generalization--based on 100 years of science--to make that happen.

Does ABA with autism involve mindlessly repeated trials using M&Ms as rewards? Only in the misleading advertising of those offering "treatments" that don't have good scientific support. ABA uses the most effective rewards, chosen specifically for the person, and does not waste time teaching things that have already been successfully learned.

We need to remind those outside our field that ABA is far more than a teacher sitting knee-to-knee with a student endlessly repeating discrete trials.

Vincent Strully, Director of the New England Center for Children

Watch some genuine ABA done in a natural setting. ABA uses the most appropriate reward for the situation in the most appropriate setting to teach effective behavior as quickly as possible.

Want a little more information? Look at the links below.

Beyond Autism: Did you know that the most effective (by far), intervenions for cocaine addiction and smoking during pregnancy, multibillion dollar problems, were designed by behavior analysts using empirically validated learning theory principles?

Read about it here and here.

Michigan Autism Insurance Bills

SB 414 | SB 415 | SB 981

Behavior News Quick Links

Humorists take on pseudoscience

New and Classic Science Comedy

BAAM Features

Behavioral Essentials

Behavior Analysis Certification Board Publishes ASD Treatment Guidelines for Applied Behavior Analysis

From the Executive Summary: The purpose of this document is to inform decision-making regarding the use of Applied Behavior Analysis nalysis (ABA) to treat medically necessary conditions so as to develop, maintain, or restore, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in ways that are both efficacious and cost effective. The document is based on the best available scientific evidence and expert clinical opinion regardingthe use of ABA as a behavioral health treatment for individuals diagnosed with ASD. The guidelines are intended to be a brief and user-friendly introduction to the application of behavior analysis for ASD when funded by health care plans. Although the guidelines are written primarily for insurers and health plans, they will also be useful for consumers and providers.

Health Plan Coverage of Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

B.F. Skinner's William James Lectures and Columbia University Verbal Behavior course notes by Ralph Hefferline

Skinner's 1948 William James Lectures were his 1957 book Verbal Behavior in draft form. Shared for decades in mimeographed form among a few lucky behavior analysts, this is the first time this classic has been generally available. Ralph Hefferline's 1947 class notes from Skinner's Columbia University course in verbal behavior show even earlier development of the same ideas. These are true classics in the history of psychology, made available through the generosity of the B.F. Skinner Foundation.

Also available from the Skinner Foundation
a free PDF copy of Skinner's 1953 Science and Human Behavior.

BAAM Science and Practice Watch

Facilitated Communication is back and growing in popularity. People are once again being falsely accused of abuse, and facilitated communication advocates are once again being given lavish attention and financial rewards for their dangerous and scientifically discredited pseudoscience.

Read and sign the BAAM Resolution on the Scientific Evidence Against "Facilitated Communication."

Resolutions by other medical, professional, scientific, and support organizations on ineffectiveness of facilitated communication

Site maintenance: James T. Todd

James Todd Behaviorism Jim Todd Behaviorism Eastern Michigan University Psychology

Become a "Virtual Member" of BAAM

Become a "Virtual Member"
of BAAM