Autism Conference

Dr. Yulema Cruz received a Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in applied behavior analysis from Nova Southeastern University. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral with 20 years of experience in the field. Dr. Cruz is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Rutgers University. Her academic interests include ethics and supervision in ABA. She also teaches ABA courses in Spanish. Additionally, Dr. Cruz is an ABA consultant and supervisor for KHY ABA Consulting Group, Inc. She works in the development of supervision systems and the dissemination of ABA to other countries and languages. Dr. Cruz also provides advice in the area of ethics in supervision as part of the international www.ABAEthicshotline.com. Dr. Cruz was elected to serve as part of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis (FABA) board for over 6 years, holding the positions of Member-At-Large, President, and co-chair of the Legislative and Public Policy Committee. .

 

Hana Jurgens, BCBA, received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Grand Valley State University in 2011, and a Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Rowan University in 2013. Possessing over a decade of experience in the field of ABA, Ms. Jurgens’ work has included the Princeton Child Development Institute, the Bancroft Lindens programs, and the Cayer Behavioral Group. Ms. Jurgens has also presented her research projects at several national and international conferences including Applied Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), Association for Professional Behavior Analysis (APBA), and Florida Association of Behavior Analysis (FABA). Topics included supervision, toilet training, and elopement studies. Currently, Ms. Jurgens serves as a Regional Clinical Training Coordinator for Positive Behavior Supports Inc. in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she facilitates and directs the ongoing fieldwork experiences of all students who are enrolled in ABA programs and working on site. Ms. Jurgens has a passion for all things research, ethics, and professionalism, and uses her role to instill these attributes to all future BCBAs and BCaBAs.

 

Dr. Karly Cordova, Ed.D., BCBA-D, IBA, received her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Growth and Development, her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology, and her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a minor in Autism. Dr. Cordova has worked in the field of ABA since 2001, consulting in a variety of schools, clinics, group homes, and private homes; and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2004. Dr. Cordova’s expertise resides in the areas of teaching functional life skills, conducting research in applied settings, disseminating ABA through effective and systematic supervision, and building capacity within organizations. Additionally, Dr. Cordova served as Florida’s Gold Coast ABA’s Vice President and subsequent President, and as a senate board member for the Credentialing of Ethical Behavioral Organizations (COEBO). Academically, Dr. Cordova works as Adjunct Faculty at two graduate ABA programs.

Abstract

It is the responsibility of every ABA supervisor to provide efficacious supervision to current and prospective certificants. By increasing the effectiveness of BACB Fieldwork supervision, this can solidify the generalization and maintenance of effective and ethical supervisory skills of a new BCBA, which will in turn enhance client outcomes. The ABA Supervision Handbook offers a systematic method for training professional behavior analysts to acquire clinical competency. Additionally, it allows for the identification of supervisees’ skills and needs, helps structure the supervision experience, operationalizes the practice of supervision, provides competency-based measures, and helps fulfill the supervisor’s duty to develop ethical decision-making systems. As a result, organizations will benefit from improved supervisory practices and competent staff, and the newly certified analysts will be able to be monitored for maintenance of case management and supervision skills, which increases the likelihood that clients will acquire the skills necessary to enhance their daily life.

Objectives

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

1. List three strategies for schedule thinning and fading of an intervention into natural settings.
2. State at least one way to use the supervision handbook to assess supervisees’ baseline performance.
3. Identify at least one way to use competency-based instruments to evaluate supervisee skills.
4. Describe at least one way to use a visual data display to help guide the supervisory experience.
5. State at least one way using checklists ensures quality and continuity of effective and ethical case management skills for clients.

Instructional Level

Advanced

Workshop Format

Educators, Paraprofessionals, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field, Behavior Analysis Practitioners, Psychologists

Proposed Audience

Behavior analysts, school psychologists, RBTs, psychologists working with individuals with disabilities who emit problem behavior

 

 

 

Dr. Erick Dubuque serves as the Director of ACQ’s industry-wide accreditation program designed to promote quality care for individuals with autism. He is a former assistant professor with over a decade of experience coordinating, advising, teaching, and supervising students across three graduate training programs in applied behavior analysis domestically and internationally. His professional, voluntary, and scholarly activities have centered around quality control in the training and application of behavior analysis. As an accreditation administrator, expert witness, licensure board chair, and consultant, Dr. Dubuque has shaped legislation, regulations, and policies designed to protect the public and increase access to effective and ethical applied behavior analytic services for individuals with autism. Dr. Dubuque received his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Abstract

Individuals impacted by autism deserve access to the highest level of care to help them reach their full potential. Interventions based in applied behavior analysis (ABA) are widely recognized by numerous scientific, professional, and governmental organizations as the most effective form of treatment for autism. However, there are significant barriers preventing patients from accessing high-quality ABA services. These challenges range from provider expertise and availability to misplaced financial incentives to standardization of practices within the industry. The field is at a critical juncture where it needs to embrace quality standards from a trusted source. The Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ) is a mission-driven non-profit accreditation body for organizations offering applied behavior analysis services to individuals and families impacted by autism. Our mission is to continuously improve the impact of applied behavior analysis services for the autism community through education and accreditation of provider organizations. In this presentation, attendees will be introduced to ACQ and learn why accreditation matters if the field is to advance and survive.

Objectives

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

1. Describe at least one function of accreditation in promoting quality services.
2. Identify at least three barriers preventing access to quality applied behavior analysis services.
3. Explain the process used to develop ACQ’s accreditation standards for healthcare organizations.

Instructional Level

Basic

Workshop Format

Lecture

Proposed Audience

Psychologists, Educators, Social Workers, Paraprofessionals, Behavior Analysis Practitioners, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field, Parents/Caregivers

Dr. Melanie Bachmeyer-Lee is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst at the doctoral level. She earned an MA in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis from Georgia State University and a PhD in School Psychology from the University of Iowa. She completed a predoctoral internship in Pediatric Psychology at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She was faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington for 9 years. Her research has been published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavioral Interventions, and Clinical Pediatrics. Dr. Bachmeyer-Lee is a past president of the North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis and recipient of the Fred Keller Excellence in Behavior Analysis Award from the North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis.

Abstract

Feeding difficulties are estimated to occur in as many as 90% of autistic children. Thus, it is common for practicing behavior analysts to encounter children who exhibit feeding difficulties that warrant intervention. However, The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts requires that behavior analysts act in the best interest of clients, taking appropriate steps to support client’s rights, maximize benefits, and do no harm (Section 3.01). Another expectation is that behavior analysts practice, supervise or train others, and conduct research only within the boundaries of their competence. Practicing outside of one’s competency in the specialized area of feeding problems can have serious and detrimental outcomes. This presentation will: (a) discuss factors that require additional knowledge and skills, (b) suggest considerations for determining one’s competency, and (c) provide recommendations for ethical practice and competency development in this specialized area.

Objectives

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

1. Describe at least two factors that make treating feeding problems in autistic children more complex than teaching other skills or reducing other problem behaviors.
2. State at least two additional facts and skills needed to treat feeding problems effectively and safely in autistic children.
3. Identify personal strengths and needs as it relates to competency to treat feeding problems in autistic children through self-assessment using a feeding skills competency checklist.
4. State at least three things one can do to develop competency and practice ethically within this specialized area.

 

Instructional Level

Basic

Workshop Format

Lecture

Proposed Audience

Psychologists, Behavior Analysis Practitioners, Educators, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field

Michelle Castanos is a BCBA who has been in the field of ABA for over 17 years. She received a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Special Education from the University of North Florida. In 2007 Michelle opened her special needs babysitting company. Over the years, that company has evolved into a full pediatric ABA center in Miami, FL. Her passion, however, is working with Adults. She is one of the Founders of THRIVE, the first post-secondary college support program for students with ASD in Florida, located at the University of North Florida. She has also worked on mobile crisis teams and institutional settings for adults with IDD and dual diagnosis. One of her main speciality’s is sexuality and sex education for individuals with ID/DD. Michelle is currently on the board for the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis and the vice president of SOFABA, the South Florida Chapter of FABA.

Abstract

Individuals with development disability and intellectual disabilities have historically struggled with topics and activities related to sex and sex education. The goal of this presentation is to review the stages of sexual development for persons with disabilities and review skills and strategies to teach appropriate skills relating to sex and sex education. Using the principles of ABA to develop these skills and strategies can assist with mediating dangerous sexual behaviors and providing access to healthy and meaningful sexual experiences.

Objectives

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

1. State at least two stages of sexual development, as they apply to those with IDD/DD.
2. Identify at least 3 skills and strategies to teach clients how to have safe, healthy, and enjoyable sexual experiences.
3. State at least one strategy to mediate dangerous sexual behaviors and provide at least one appropriate safe and healthy replacement behavior.

Instructional Level

Basic

Workshop Format

Lecture Discussion

Proposed Audience

Psychologists, Behavior Analysis Practitioners, Educators, Students in a Behavior Analytic Field