Workshop Information

Guy Bruce, PhD

Basic Information

• Date: Thursday April 21, 2022
• Time: 9am-12pm and 1:30pm-4:30pm (lunch on your own)
• Location: Hyatt Regency Dallas
• Duration and CEUs: 6-hours with 6 BACB CEUs available

Abstract

Do you work as a program designer, staff trainer, supervisor, or director of an agency that provides educational services to students with learning difficulties? Are you satisfied with your clients’ progress? Behavior analysis developed a powerful technology for helping people, but too many clients don't receive the benefits. Why not? The easy answer is that employees don't do what they are told. But the employees’ performance, just like their clients’ performance, is a product of their environment. Do employees have the resources, training, and management necessary to help their clients achieve their goals? What about their supervisors? What about their directors? Organizations are groups of individuals who must work together to provide their clients with the outcomes they want. The failure of clients to make adequate progress is not usually an individual employee performance problem, but a performance problem at the system process, and individual levels of the organization.

This workshop will teach you how to design and implement a pragmatic organizational performance engineering process to change how providers work together, so that every student makes efficient progress. The EARS process has the following steps: 1) Evaluate student progress; 2) Analyze causes of provider performance problems; 3) Recommend changes in provider resources, training, and management; and 4) Solve provider performance problems by designing and implementing recommended changes in provider resources, training, and management.

Materials

Dr. Bruce will email registrants prior to the workshop with materials and information regarding a free trial of software that will be demonstrated during the workshop. Please bring both a laptop and a mobile device (either OS or Android phone or tablet) to this workshop.

Awab Abdel-Jalil (presenting in-person) and
T.V. Joe Layng, PhD (presenting remotely)

Basic Information

• Date: Thursday April 21, 2022
• Time: 9am-12pm
• Location: Hyatt Regency Dallas
• Duration and CEUs: 3 hours with 3 BACB CEUs available
• Other Information: Awab Abel-Jalil will be presenting in-person while Dr. Layng will be presenting remotely.

Abstract

This workshop will provide an overview of the principles and practices described in the recent book Nonlinear Contingency Analysis: Going Beyond Cognition and Behavior in Clinical Practice (Layng, Andronis, Codd III, and Abdel-Jalil, 2022), including:

• Examples from clinical and organizational casework, including children diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and their parents
• An introduction to the constructional approach and programing, utilizing the constructional questionnaire and behavioral logs
• The analysis of linear and nonlinear relations
• The development of topical and systemic interventions

The functional analysis of behavior has become the generally accepted standard for initial behavioral assessment in the delivery of human services by both public and private agencies, and many other institutions throughout the United States. At the same time, perhaps because of the demands imposed by their rapid and widespread dissemination, the procedures associated with this approach have often become formalized around a relatively “simplified” cluster of basic analytic questions. Though certain so-called “third wave” therapeutic and training approaches have offered some positive outcomes, Goldiamond (1974, 1984), and more recently, Layng et al. (2022) have elaborated a more thoroughgoing contingency analytic perspective. The elements of this perspective begins with a type of Constructional Approach (after, Goldiamond 1974, 1975) to the functional analysis of behavior: Nonlinear Contingency Analysis (NCA), which may be used to provide both topical and systemic intervention programs, where the problem presented may not be the problem to solve. NCA not only examines the consequences of the disturbing behavior, but the consequences of not engaging in the disturbing behavior, and those consequences attached to any available alternative behaviors. The joint effect on the behavior of interest of all of these contingencies is what we mean by nonlinear. Behavior, thoughts, and feelings are to be understood in this broader context. Thus, this approach goes beyond simply examining and treating disturbing behavior, thoughts, or feelings and considers the larger contingency context in which the pattern occurs. Accordingly, it is the consequential contingency and seldom is “behavior,” “cognition,” or “emotion,” the primary focus of the intervention. Whereas many therapies try to help clients see the glass as half full, through reframing thoughts and positive thinking, and others help clients accept the glass as half empty and to pursue valued goals, NCA encourages clients to perhaps get a new glass altogether.

Derek Reed, PhD

Basic Information

• Date: Thursday April 21, 2022
• Time: 1:30pm-4:30pm
• Location: Hyatt Regency Dallas
• Duration and CEUs: 3 hours with 3 BACB CEUs available

Abstract

Behavior analysts routinely speak in front of interdisciplinary teams, collaborators, peers, and colleagues. Whether presenting research or advocating behavioral practices, public speaking is a job requirement for many behavior analysts. Yet, behavior analytic training often excludes this critical skillset. Beyond the importance of representing themselves well, behavior analysts often find themselves needing to convince outside professionals of the legitimacy of their science or practice, placing the behavior analyst in an even more substantial role as ambassador of the discipline. This workshop provides foundational knowledge and strategies for professional-level public speaking. Topics covered include: planning for public addresses, outline a successful story to tell, slide deck development, stage presence, and general trips and strategies to handle public speaking. Attendees will leave the workshop with timelines to prepare talks, outlines and templates for creating presentation "story boards," and tips for delivering impressive and memorable presentations. This workshop will not provide training on specific slide deck software platforms, however. A unique aspect of this workshop is that it provides a behavior analytic approach to public speaking--references to behavioral studies will be provided, and content generated and provided by the workshop speaker will be grounded in relevant behavioral research.