The Severe Behavior Lab houses a series of research projects that design and evaluate assessments and interventions for individuals with mild to severe challenging behavior. These services are best for individuals that engage in challenging behavior that impacts their ability to access educational, social, or community resources.
Collaborators:
For more information on participating in Project FIESTA, click here. |
Services for children with autism that engage in challenging behavior are extremely limited as these behaviors often prevent children from being able to receive intervention in traditional school, community, or clinical settings. To meet this need, Project FIESTA (Family Intervention and Education Services to Treat Autism) will employ a progressive service model intended to coach caregivers to implement evidence-based practices to reduce challenging behavior for their child with ASD. Project FIESTA aims to effectively and efficiently serve at least 250 families in need of intervention by offering three levels of caregiver-led treatment within previously existing and established UTSA services. The progressive service model includes Brief Outpatient Autism Therapy (BOAT; 5 hrs of intervention), Short-term (5-weeks), and Long-term (16-weeks) Severe Behavior Outpatient services with caregiver coaching as a pillar of the intervention approach.
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Measurement of Behavior Intensity
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The purpose of this study is to pilot the use of wearable technology (i.e., inertial measurement units) to quantify the intensity of problem behavior. Inertial measurement units (or “IMUs”) are small portable motion capture systems that incorporate three types of sensors; accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer. The data from the three sensors can be incorporated to calculate inclination angle of the sensor in space, and data from its components (gyroscope and accelerometers) provide data on angular (rotation) velocity and acceleration of the sensors about the three axes. By fixing the units on the body segment, the sensor can be used to study human movement.
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Impact of LanguageCollaborators:
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There has been an increased focus on linguistic diversity in the field of applied behavior analysis . However, limited research has been conducted evaluating the effect language has on the outcome of a functional analysis. Recent publications suggest that language can alter the evocative effect of antecedents and the reinforcing effect of consequences during a functional analysis.
In the current study, the experimenters evaluated the role of language on functional analysis outcomes for children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In particular, this study sought to evaluate if the language of assessment effects the identified function, and if language of assessment effects the patterns of behavior observed. |
Publications:
Neely, L., Graber, J., Kunnavatana, S., & Cantrell, K. (2020). Impact of language on behavior treatment outcomes. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(2), 796-810
Neely, L., Carnett, A., Kunnavatana, S. S., Wimberley, J., & Cantrell, K. (2020). Impact of language on behavior assessment outcomes. Journal of Behavioral Education, 1-20.
Neely, L., Graber, J., Kunnavatana, S., & Cantrell, K. (2020). Impact of language on behavior treatment outcomes. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(2), 796-810
Neely, L., Carnett, A., Kunnavatana, S. S., Wimberley, J., & Cantrell, K. (2020). Impact of language on behavior assessment outcomes. Journal of Behavioral Education, 1-20.
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Please note that this work was supported in whole or part by a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). The opinions and conclusions expressed in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policy of the THECB.