A Compassionate Approach to Understanding and Addressing Interfering and Dissent Behaviors belongs in serious BCBA study because it shapes whether behavior-analytic decisions stay useful once they leave a clean training example and enter clinic sessions and day-to-day service delivery. In A Compassionate Approach to Understanding and Addressing Interfering and Dissent Behaviors, for this course, the practical stakes show up in better alignment between intervention and the family context in which it must survive, not in abstract discussion alone.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Utah Association for Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →Interfering behaviors are prevalent among the learners we work with. Understanding why they occur prior to treating it is at the heart of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Ensuring we understand our learners' behavior before we change them and minimizing the probability of escalation is at the heart of compassionate ABA (Hanley 2012; Hanley et al., 2014; Rodriguez et al., 2023). Labels such as "compassionate", "trauma-informed", "assent-based" are not referring to any newly discovered principles in the laboratory. Rather, it is a way for us to tact a set of conceptually systematic procedures that are more assent-based and culturally-responsive. ABA is a science, just like biology and physics. This set of knowledge informs us of the principles and processes that have generality across behaviors, settings, and species (Skinner, 1938). The science informs us of the relationship between behaviors and environmental variables so that we can describe, predict, control or influence behaviors. Taking another perspective, compassion is not the heart of the science but a dimension of our service delivery (Penney et al., 2023). We can select socially significant behaviors to address and use experimentation as a prime directive. Effective being the outcome. But at what cost? How we get the data matters. This presentation will discuss the prevalence of interfering behaviors in individuals diagnosed with autism and similar developmental disabilities. Attendees will learn about an alternative technology that focuses on safety, televisibility, and rapport. Attendees will also be given the tools to make the shift towards assent-based and trauma-sensitive approaches to keeping both students and staff safe. Presenter Bio: Dr. Celia Heyman is a doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). Her research interests include addressing interfering behaviors, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Equivalence-Based Instruction (EBI), and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). Celia is a lead consultant at FTF Behavioral Consulting where she consults with schools and clinics on the implementation of the Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-Based Treatment. Celia is also a core faculty at Capella University's graduate Applied Behavior Analysis program. Celia was a guest editor on the special issue covering compassion for the Behavior Analysis in Practice. Celia currently serves on the Development Committee of the B.F. Skinner Foundation and is the Student Activities Chairperson for the World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance. Pervading all her activities is a passion for disseminating more ethical, compassionate, and effective treatment based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis. In her spare time, Celia enjoys championing and supporting aspiring behavior analysts and has culminated a Facebook community group (ABA Study Group), making up of over 60,000 members worldwide.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | General |
| COA | 1 | — |
Celia Heyman is a doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). Her research interests include addressing interfering behaviors, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Equivalence-Based Instruction (EBI), and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). Celia is a lead consultant at FTF Behavioral Consulting where she consults with schools and clinics on the implementation of the Practical Functional Assessment and Skill-Based Treatment. Celia is also a core faculty at Capella University’s graduate Applied Behavior Analysis program. Celia was a guest editor on the special issue covering compassion for the Behavior Analysis in Practice. Her published work includes Writing Skills for Behavior Analysts: A Practical Guide for Practitioners and Clinicians, Lifespan Treatments for Autistic Individuals, and the MOTAS-EL (Meaningful Outcomes Treatment & Assessment Scale - Early Learners.) Celia currently serves on the Development Committee of the B.F. Skinner Foundation and is the Student Activities Chairperson for the World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance. Pervading all her activities is a passion for disseminating more ethical, compassionate, and effective treatment based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis. In her spare time, Celia enjoys championing and supporting aspiring behavior analysts and has culminated a Facebook community group (ABA Study Group), making up of over 60,000 members worldwide.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
252 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.