2021 Events

Using Acceptance and Commitment Training to Enhance ABA Services for Families Living with Autism

Featuring Jonathan Tarbox, Ph.D., BCBA - 10/7/2021

Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) was first created as a behavioral analytical approach to psychotherapy but is now applied beyond the area. Its use as an additional set of tools to complement and enhance ABA therapy is supported by research. The goal of ACT is to help people make the hard choices that will get them to be where they want to be in life. BCBAs might want to learn more about ACT and incorporate it into their practice.

What We Learned

  • ACT can be seen as a “hexaflex” that encompasses values, acceptance, self as context, defusion, present moment, and committed action. All 6 repertoires of behaviors of ACT work together to make people notice their own behavior, set goals, and learn how to make their behaviors help them achieve their goals.
  • There are several strategies one can use to strengthen each of the 6 repertoires of behaviors such as mindfulness to bring you to the present moment, and in addition, there are approaches to combine all of the ACT elements to lead you to committed action.
  • Helping BCBAs understand ACT and teaching them how to implement it in their practice might help them acknowledge and face criticisms that the ABA community receive. Moreover, professionals must be able to recognize their bias, understand ableism, and diversity and inclusion to empower those they are meant to help.

Let's Talk About Sex... Education!

Featuring Kathryn Holley, M.Ed., BCBA - 5/20/2021

There are many myths and misperceptions about autistic individuals’ sexuality, and often autistic individuals are not taught important sex and health information. Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) aims to educate people about human sexuality with information that is medically accurate, evidence-based, age appropriate, and developmentally appropriate from an early age. It is crucial to educate providers on how to incorporate Comprehensive Sexuality Education programs into the care of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

What We Learned

  • Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is a human right that uses medically accurate, evidence-based, age-appropriate, and developmentally appropriate information and methods to educate individuals about sexuality from an early age. It encompasses topics including sexual health, relationships, sexual intercourse, consent, gender identity, and much more. Providers can adjust CSE for individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autistic individuals to ensure that they receive the information they need to gain body autonomy and make decisions.
  • Individuals with developmental disabilities are assaulted at a rate of 7 times higher than typically developing individuals. 86% of the assaults come from people known to these individuals, such as caretakers, family, and friends. 50% of the assaults reported happened during the day at school, at home, and in care facilities. Only 3% of assaults in this community are reported. Barriers to reporting assaults include communication challenges between the individuals and the authorities, less independence of the individual, and difficulty recalling information to report the assault.
  • There are sensible and practical ways in which providers can approach these topics with their clients. Providers need to cultivate respect, set boundaries, and be approachable from the start. In addition, it is important for providers to know the limits of their knowledge and seek consultation when needed.

Beyond Picking Eating: Feeding Concerns in Children with Autism

Featuring Dr. Valerie Volkert, Ph.D. - 2/11/2021

Feeding is a common source of stress among caregivers with up to 45% of children experiencing some mealtime problems (Volkert & Piazza, 2012). Of these children, almost 22% of these are considered picky eaters. They may avoid foods based on its sensory characteristics or they may be reluctant to try new foods. This avoidance of new or specific foods can result in children not being able to meet their nutritional and energy needs, causing issues of weight loss or nutritional deficiency, dependence on nutritional supplements, or negative impacts on social function. Roughly 5% of children suffer from these eating disturbances or feeding disorders, demonstrating severe problem behaviors during meals. Treatment programs generally focus on increasing either the volume or variety of food in the children’s diet to help them meet their nutritional and energy needs. Individuals with ASD in particular are 5 times more likely to experience feeding problems related to variety, with up to 95% of individuals with ASD experiencing some type of feeding problem during their development.

What We Learned

  • Children with ASD often exhibit avoidance to variety in their food, with many studies showing decreased consumption of fruits and vegetables as compared to their typically developing counterparts. This avoidance can cause children with ASD to eat a higher proportion of unhealthy or processed food, leading to higher BMIs and deficiency in certain vitamins and micronutrients.
  • There is higher prevalence of tactile and oral defensiveness, as well as texture aversion, in children with ASD. This, combined with repetitive behaviors and restrictive interests that are common in children with ASD, creates a highly limited diet that children with ASD want to consume. Food selectivity therefore may be a manifestation of change resistant behavior in children with ASD.
  • There are four pillars to approach a feeding intervention: medicine, nutrition, skill, and behavior. ABA therapy can be used to effectively target behavior, helping to promote the child’s acceptance of new foods and train the caregiver to support generalization.

Examining the Influence of Implicit Bias on the Outcomes of Autistic Children and Youth

Featuring Brian Boyd, Ph.D. - 03/05/21

Implicit Bias is a societal force that heavily contributes to racial and ethnic disparities in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These associations between social groups and stereotypic attributes that we unconsciously form can affect Latinx and Black children’s timing and accuracy of diagnosis as well as access to services. Acknowledging and targeting systemic racism might be a powerful action to reduce implicit bias and therefore alleviate some of the disparities that Latinx and Black children in the spectrum face.

What We Learned

  • Implicit racial biases are mental associations that link social groups to stereotypical attributes. They are involuntary thoughts that can shape action and can occur even when people reject explicit biases. Implicit bias is an example of a societal force that perpetuates racial and ethnic disparities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Disparities range from delayed or misdiagnosis for Black children, under-identification and delayed diagnosis for Latinx children, to their difficulty accessing services and phenotypic differences.
  • Preliminary data shows that counties with higher levels of implicit bias were associated with Black and Latinx children being more likely to be referred by the school and these children being more likely to have an individualized education plan (IEP) and more likely to get more school-based services. Moreover, Black and Latinx children from counties with higher levels of implicit bias were less likely to have a pediatrician as a primary care provider.
  • Systemic racism worked as a mediator between the proportion enslaved in 1860 and current levels of implicit bias. Specifically, counties that were higher in segregation, disparity in poverty, and disparity in mobility, were positively associated with implicit bias. Solutions have to go beyond intervening at the individual level to solve existing racial and ethnic disparities in autism. Changing the situation is more powerful!