How's everyone really feeling. Teaching autistic learners to identify emotions belongs in serious BCBA study because it shapes whether behavior-analytic decisions stay useful once they leave a clean training example and enter community routines and natural environments.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via BABAT
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Join Free →This panel will examine a radical behavioral account of emotions and emotional behavior which was used to develop emotion recognition programs for autistic learners. Individuals with a diagnosis of autism are often reported to lack the ability to read emotions in themselves and others. Further, many programs rely on social cues such as facial expression and gestures as emotional indicators; however, facial expressions represent sophisticated social cues which may be difficult for autistic individuals to decode and use in socially significant ways. While facial expression is an important component of the emotional context, research suggests emotions are not universally expressed and other teaching strategies may be necessary. Initial steps in teaching emotion recognition may require first teaching the shared meaning of the words used within a given environmental context followed by the related social constructs. Panelists will provide an overview of the development, implementation, and results of a study using instructional design methodology to teach the emotion-words, fear and anger. Panelists will also discuss how teaching autistic learners emotion-word recognition can lead to enhanced emotional intelligence and positive social outcomes.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | General |
Dr. Sheila Klick recently joined the team at Behavior Interventions, Inc. as the Chief Clinical and Science Officer (CCSO) and a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Sheila's role oversees clinical quality across the organization, provides strategic guidance for service delivery, and advances research and quality improvement initiatives.Sheila has extensive experience in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and organizational leadership across a continuum of services, including early intervention, school-based, residential, clinical, and home settings.Most recently, Sheila served as the Senior Director of Clinical Services at Melmark, where she coordinated ABA-based programs within school and residential environments. Prior to that, she was the Director of Adult Clinical Services at Melmark (2019–2021), overseeing day, residential, and community programs.From 2013–2019, Sheila worked with Devereux CARES, where she held several leadership roles including Clinical Coordinator in the consultation program, supporting school districts in implementing systems-based models for students with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders. Earlier in her career, she served as Autism Project Coordinator and Behavior Analyst at Devereux CARES School, as well as in multiple clinical and management positions at Melmark between 2008 and 2013.Sheila earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication (with a minor in Education) from LaSalle University, a graduate certificate and master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and her Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis from Endicott College, where she also serves as an adjunct faculty member. She holds the Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral (BCBA-D) credential.Her research interests include the evaluation of single-subject research design, optimizing degrees of freedom in clinical programming, and developing assent-based procedures and constructional approaches to medical procedures. In recent years, Sheila has contributed several published articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, as well as presented in many highly regarded conferences across the country related to these topics.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 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.