Ep. 24- JABA in One Take- Utilizing an EMG to help detect teeth clenching

JABA in One Take- Show Notes

In another fascinating application of technology to behavior analysis, these authors utilized an EMG to detect the previously covert behavior of bruxism, or teeth grinding. It seems to be a Friday pattern in which we get a fun and novel application of tech to our field! Overall, this article presents an interesting look at how we as a field can adopt a technology while at the same time focusing on reliability and fidelity. This article also goes over their staff training method with the new technology in an attempt to demonstrate a pathway for future practitioners to follow. What is really interesting to me about this article is that it forces us to ask the question... "Just because we developed a new method of measurement, should we switch from the old way?" Often times, while a new method is interesting and provides some advantages, the cost of the new method is not worth the perceived advantages. Additional research needs to be completed in this area to identify the weaknesses of current methods and the weaknesses of new tech as well. 

Citation + DOI

Ellement, J. K., Virues-Ortega, J., & Boris, A. (2021), Electromyography of diurnal bruxism during assessment and treatment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 54(4), 1652-1666. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.864

Additional Readings:

Armstrong, A., Knapp, V., & McAdam, B. (2014). Functional analysis and treatment of the diurnal bruxism of a 16-year-old girl with bruxism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47(2), 1-5. https://doi.org/10. 1002/jaba.122

Barnoy, E., Najdowski, A., Tarbox, J., Wilke, A., & Nollet, M. (2009). Evaluation of a multicomponent intervention for diurnal bruxism in a young child with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42(4), 845-848. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2009. 42-845