2021 F.A.C.T. Conference

Keynote Address

Patrick C. Friman, Ph.D., ABPP

• Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska School of Medicine

Dr. Patrick C. Friman received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. He is the current Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska School of Medicine. He was formerly on the faculties of Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Creighton University Schools of Medicine.  He was also formerly the Director of the Clinical Psychology Program at University of Nevada.

He is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, in three divisions of the American Psychological Association, and of the American Board of Behavioral Psychology. He is the former Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and former President of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. He has published more than 200 scientific articles and chapters and three books.  The majority of his scientific and clinical work is in Behavioral Pediatrics and Behavioral Medicine.

Dr. Friman’s work in behavioral pediatrics has concentrated on the gap between primary medical care for children on one side, and referral-based clinical child psychological and psychiatric care, on the other. A secondary focus is on adolescent behavior and development.  He also specializes in consultation regarding workplace issues such as motivation, dealing with difficult people, change, happiness and pathways to success.

Making the World a Better Place

All behavior analysts are part of a field whose ultimate intention is to make the world a better place. This mission was sketched abundantly in Skinner’s writings as he created and shaped the field; by joining it all members implicitly, and most explicitly, take on the assignment in whatever position they hold (e.g., scientist, practitioner, educator). This brief talk will emphasize that role and acknowledge the value and the significance of what behavior analysts do for the world, regardless of their job, every day they spend in the field. It will also discuss why that message is needed now.

Closing Speaker

Dr. Cheryl Tierney MD, MPH

• Board-Certified Behavior and Developmental Pediatrician
• Section Chief, Behavior and Developmental Pediatrics
• Professor of Pediatrics/ Penn State Health Milton S.
• Hershey Medical Center

Cheryl Tierney, MD, MPH is a Board-Certified behavior and developmental pediatrician who has been in practice since 2002.

She is a native of Brooklyn, New York and completed medical school at Tufts University in Boston. Her pediatric residency was at Levine Children’s Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. She completed Fellowships in Health Services Research, where she received her MPH at Harvard School of Public Health as well as Behavior and Developmental Pediatrics in 2002.

After 8 years on faculty at Tuft’s Baystate Children’s Hospital she was recruited to Penn State Children’s Hospital in 2010. Dr. Tierney is a Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Developmental Medicine. She is an active member of The Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP) including its Advocacy Committee. Dr. Tierney is the President and founder of the ABA in PA Initiative which is a grass roots advocacy group whose mission is to improve access and quality of ABA services in Pennsylvania. Her practice specializes in speech and language disorders to include autism and childhood apraxia of speech as well as pediatric behavioral sleep disorders.

Do you See Me? Can you Hear Me? ABA and Autism Services During a Pandemic

Dr. Tierney’s talk, will be addressing the struggles families, professionals, and the ones they support face, and how to be “heard or seen” when children with disabilities are receiving services amid a pandemic. She will share her own personal experiences through patient encounters regarding the unique problems families face and the importance of re-envisioning effective interventions to meet their needs.

Rea Mittal, B.S.

3rd Year Medical Student
Penn State College of Medicine

Analysis of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy Delivery and Caregiver Burden during COVID-19

COVID-19 social gathering restrictions have shifted Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) agencies to deliver ABA therapy through telehealth video options and in-home visits. Most ABA therapy has historically occurred face to face, usually in a clinic or home setting. Therefore, the advancement of virtual telehealth ABA options brings many opportunities and concerns. We conducted an online survey to elicit parent perspectives on ABA treatment delivered via telehealth versus in home visit modalities and caregiver hardships. Information about ABA delivered via telehealth may be useful in guiding family decision-making regarding ABA treatment for children. Additionally, information regarding caregiver burden is important in understanding and addressing the challenges caregivers face. This lecture is guided to share our findings regarding the impact of COVID driven telehealth versus traditional in person ABA delivery as well as discuss strategies to reduce caregiver burden.

Scott Rossig, M.Ed., BCBA

Felician University Adjunct Faculty

Positive Parenting: Using the Core Principles of ABA to Create Positive Outcomes in the Home & Community

Parents and caregivers often draw on their own experiences and upbringing as their primary source of information on how to parent their children and address challenging behaviors. The science of Behavior Analysis offers us proven, research based principles on which to base our behavior interventions. Learn about the importance of being proactive rather than reactive when addressing the challenges that arise. Understand the importance of the use of strategies involving positive interventions as opposed to only relying on punishment. And learn how we often bring undo attention to challenging behaviors and the role that can play in perpetuating those behaviors. Join me as we reflect on our strengths as parents and caregivers while empowering ourselves to take our parenting skills to a whole new level!

John C. Burke, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Professor in Special Education
Executive Director, International Center for Autism & disabilities Research in Education
School of Education, Felician University

Stephanie McGowan, Ed.D.

Dean, School of Education
Felician University

Jillian Marchione, B.A.

Graduate Assistant
International Center for Autism & disabilities Research in Education
School of Education, Felician University

Project Tele-Team: Teaming with Parents in Implementing Pivotal Response Treatment via Tele-Health

The goal of Pivotal Response Teaching (PRT) is to target important areas that often separate children with autism from their typical peers. PRT builds upon a long history of ABA based research and targets pivotal skills including motivation, social use of language, independence, and attention including learning to be an active participant in classroom based group instruction. Aside from professionals using PRT, parents have been finding PRT very useful in helping to advance their children’s development within the home. With the advances in Tele-Health, professionals can now connect with parents from remote locations in order to provide them with training and ongoing support including in the use of PRT. This session will focus on sharing practical steps in delivering PRT via Tele-health. Key components involve establishing a team based approach between professionals and parents. Not only is the family viewed as the primary recipient of the services, professionals must work with parents as partners in designing and implementing the program.  A Behavioral Skills Training Approach consists of instruction, modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and feedback that is used to teach new behaviors or skills (Miltenberger, 2004).

Kirsten Yurich, M.A., LBS, BCBA

 Precision Teaching: A Powerful Set of Strategies for Enhancing Learner Outcomes

Precision Teaching has a long history in behavior analysis and education. Its roots are founded in B. F. Skinner’s laboratory and the continuous record. Skinner’s student, Ogden Lindsley, extended the experimental procedures from Skinner’s lab to educational settings. The core principles and practices that have emerged and subsequently refined over decades are set in a simple four step process: Pinpoint, Record, Change, and Try Again. Precision Teaching’s core principles and critical practices provide parents, teachers, and other therapists with concrete effective methods for monitoring progress, solving problems, making discoveries, and differentiating instruction.

A core precept in the application of Precision Teaching is describing authentic behavior for improvement. A Pinpoint – a definition of behavior that allows an observer to detect and measure it. Once detected, Precision Teachers measure dimensional qualities of behavior, using frequency most often, and display behavior frequencies for timely and effective decision making on a standard chart. Precision Teaching has also offered the educational community the concept of fluency based instruction – timed practice sessions that promote high levels of engagement, true mastery of content, and retention of learned skills.

The audience will be provided a brief history and research background of Precision Teaching giving way to an introduction to several core strategies that can be implemented in any learning environment to improve academic or behavioral outcomes. Through explanation and examples participants will discover how applying Precision Teaching within their own learning environments (regardless of their ongoing curricular choices) can enhance their learning outcomes. Resources to further explore Precision Teaching applications will be offered.

Jamie Salter, Ed.S., BCBA

Self & Match Educational Consultation

Katharine Croce, Ed.D., BCBA-D

Felician University and Self & Match Educational Consultation

Self-Monitoring Interventions: Implementation of Self & Match via TeleHealth

By systematically teaching students how to engage in more prosocial behaviors they are able to better access their learning and develop stronger relationships with others — Ultimately, leading to a better quality of life.

This practical and interactive session will explore peer-reviewed research that supports the implementation of self-monitoring systems for individuals with autism and will provide an opportunity to learn the benefits of implementing well-defined, systematic self-monitoring interventions and motivational systems via tele-health. A detailed discussion of self-monitoring procedures incorporating a “match” component will also be presented including a brief overview of the Self & Match System, a user-friendly, empirically-supported system that embraces a collaborative and proactive approach to intervention planning and that can be implemented both in-person and via virtual modalities.

Together, this interactive session will review the Who, What, When, Why, Where and How of effective self-management interventions. Great session for individuals and/or teams.

Jamie Salter, Ed.S., BCBA

Self & Match Educational Consultation

Katharine Croce, Ed.D., BCBA-D

Felician University and Self & Match Educational Consultation

Self-Monitoring Interventions: Who, What, Where, & Why

The National Autism Centers’ National Standards Project has identified 14 “established” treatments; one of which is self-monitoring.  This workshop will explore peer-reviewed research that supports the implementation of self-monitoring systems for individuals with autism of various ages and developmental levels.   A discussion of self-monitoring procedures incorporating a “match” component will be presented as well.  Great workshop for individuals and/or teams!

Also Included:

• Panel – Parent and Professional Teams Solving Problems During the Pandemic
• Mini – Breakout Session – ABA Tips for Tele-Instruction to Promote Engagement