The New England Center for Children Presents Autism and Behavior Analysis Research at Industry Conferences
New Findings in Ongoing Infant Sibling Project; Research in 25+ Virtual Papers, Symposia, Workshops and Posters
Southborough, MA, October 21, 2021 --(PR.com)-- The New England Center for Children® (NECC®), a global leader in education and research for children with autism, announced 2021 research and presentations on a range of applied behavior analysis topics including new findings in its ongoing Infant Sibling Research Project.
Core to NECC’s mission is disseminating the important research studies and methods that help broaden our understanding of how children with autism best learn and acquire the skills they need to thrive. Over the last year, NECC behavior analysts and researchers shared their critical research and findings through more than 25 presentations, including virtual symposia, panels, papers, workshops, tutorials, and posters. At the first-ever ABA Symposium hosted at NECC’s John and Diane Kim Autism Institute, NECC researchers reported findings on its ongoing Infant Sibling Research Project and several other important topics.
NECC Research Department
William Ahearn, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, Director of Research, co-authored two chapters in Applied Behavior Analysis: A Comprehensive Handbook. The first chapter presents a deep dive into Response Interruption and Redirection, while the second examines Automatic Reinforcement.
Chata Dickson, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, Assistant Director of Research, delivered the keynote address at the inaugural Applied Behavior Analysis Conference at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Her talk, titled, “Promoting the Generality of Foundational Skills in Children with Autism: The Instructional Matrix Approach,” shared the approach developed by Dr. Dickson and her junior colleagues in her Behavior Analysis and Learning Research Laboratory at NECC. The research was conducted in Southborough and Abu Dhabi, and the approach is now in use on the ACE® ABA Software System, which is used by more than 10,000 learners with autism worldwide.
Both Dr. Ahearn and Dr. Dickson delivered talks at the 42nd Annual Conference of the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT) this month. Dr. Ahearn presented on The State of the Professional Practice of ABA in Massachusetts and Beyond, while Dr. Dickson presented on the aforementioned Instructional Matrix Approach.
“The opportunity to conduct meaningful research in the same place where our students learn and live has led to many studies that have been shared with the scientific community in journals,” explained Dr. Dickson. “They also shape the lessons, assessments, and other features of the ACE. It is a privilege to be a part of an organization that contributes to the science of learning and behavior, and to share our work with other educators and researchers who, like us, are committed to helping individuals with autism.”
NECC ABA Symposium
Every spring, NECC sends dozens of staff to the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) convention, where NECC researchers are often key presenters. With the pandemic forcing conferences to cancel or go virtual, NECC’s Dr. Ahearn and Eileen Roscoe, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Director of Behavior Analytic Research, created a two-day symposium that was held in person at NECC’s John and Diane Kim Autism Institute.
NECC clinicians and researchers shared their research at this two-day conference with both live and virtual attendees. Presenters discussed research covering a range of topics, including teaching verbal behavior, assessing early markers and treatment in infants, conducting remediating problems of learning, assessing of social interaction, enhancing generality of treatment outcomes, increasing cooperation with pill swallowing and other medical procedures, and treating automatically reinforced problem behavior.
Infant Autism Research Findings
During the NECC ABA Symposium, NECC researchers reported findings on the ongoing Infant Sibling Research Project, a study to identify early signs of autism in infant siblings of children with autism and to develop interventional treatments. Started in 2019, the study currently follows 53 high-risk and 26 low-risk infants.
Kathryn Couger, BCBA, LABA, who worked as a clinical research coordinator on the project, described a study that involved documenting early markers of autism using a specialized assessment tool. She explained that the team found that this tool was useful in identifying five key early markers of autism in infants.
In a second presentation, Victoria Weisser, BCBA, LABA, Infant Research Coordinator, shared research documenting the emergence of early markers and the outcomes of early treatment in a sibling. As a result of early intervention in applied behavior analysis (ABA), the participant no longer met the requirements for an ASD diagnosis at 22 months. Meanwhile, Morgan Scully reviewed data on the treatment of motor stereotypy in an infant at risk of ASD. Non-physical redirection of stereotypy to toy play and reinforcement for toy engagement was effective in decreasing stereotypy to near-zero levels.
NECC also shared that is has developed a new assessment tool called the Early Marker of Autism (EMA), which is designed to evaluate participants who are from birth to 18 months of age. The goal for this early identification tool is for it to be validated and then offered to pediatricians to help with early detection of autism.
For more information and additional examples of the breadth and depth of research at NECC, read our Research News newsletter at https://www.flipsnack.com/thenewenglandcenterforchildreninsight/necc-research-news-fall-2021-vcj4mnhgvu.html
About The New England Center for Children
The New England Center for Children® (NECC®) is an award-winning autism education center and research institute. Committed to creating a world where autism is not a barrier to happiness, growth, and independence, our community of teachers, researchers, and clinicians provide comprehensive services including day and residential programs, partner classrooms in public school systems, consulting services, and the ACE® ABA Software System (www.acenecc.org).
NECC is committed to creating an equitable workplace for our diverse team and providing industry-leading staff professional development opportunities, specifically with our on-campus graduate degree partnership programs. The result is a growing pool of autism educators and researchers that impact the lives of children with autism both at NECC and around the world. The New England Center for Children is based in Southborough, MA, and operates a center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Learn more at www.necc.org.
Core to NECC’s mission is disseminating the important research studies and methods that help broaden our understanding of how children with autism best learn and acquire the skills they need to thrive. Over the last year, NECC behavior analysts and researchers shared their critical research and findings through more than 25 presentations, including virtual symposia, panels, papers, workshops, tutorials, and posters. At the first-ever ABA Symposium hosted at NECC’s John and Diane Kim Autism Institute, NECC researchers reported findings on its ongoing Infant Sibling Research Project and several other important topics.
NECC Research Department
William Ahearn, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, Director of Research, co-authored two chapters in Applied Behavior Analysis: A Comprehensive Handbook. The first chapter presents a deep dive into Response Interruption and Redirection, while the second examines Automatic Reinforcement.
Chata Dickson, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA, Assistant Director of Research, delivered the keynote address at the inaugural Applied Behavior Analysis Conference at the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Her talk, titled, “Promoting the Generality of Foundational Skills in Children with Autism: The Instructional Matrix Approach,” shared the approach developed by Dr. Dickson and her junior colleagues in her Behavior Analysis and Learning Research Laboratory at NECC. The research was conducted in Southborough and Abu Dhabi, and the approach is now in use on the ACE® ABA Software System, which is used by more than 10,000 learners with autism worldwide.
Both Dr. Ahearn and Dr. Dickson delivered talks at the 42nd Annual Conference of the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT) this month. Dr. Ahearn presented on The State of the Professional Practice of ABA in Massachusetts and Beyond, while Dr. Dickson presented on the aforementioned Instructional Matrix Approach.
“The opportunity to conduct meaningful research in the same place where our students learn and live has led to many studies that have been shared with the scientific community in journals,” explained Dr. Dickson. “They also shape the lessons, assessments, and other features of the ACE. It is a privilege to be a part of an organization that contributes to the science of learning and behavior, and to share our work with other educators and researchers who, like us, are committed to helping individuals with autism.”
NECC ABA Symposium
Every spring, NECC sends dozens of staff to the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) convention, where NECC researchers are often key presenters. With the pandemic forcing conferences to cancel or go virtual, NECC’s Dr. Ahearn and Eileen Roscoe, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Director of Behavior Analytic Research, created a two-day symposium that was held in person at NECC’s John and Diane Kim Autism Institute.
NECC clinicians and researchers shared their research at this two-day conference with both live and virtual attendees. Presenters discussed research covering a range of topics, including teaching verbal behavior, assessing early markers and treatment in infants, conducting remediating problems of learning, assessing of social interaction, enhancing generality of treatment outcomes, increasing cooperation with pill swallowing and other medical procedures, and treating automatically reinforced problem behavior.
Infant Autism Research Findings
During the NECC ABA Symposium, NECC researchers reported findings on the ongoing Infant Sibling Research Project, a study to identify early signs of autism in infant siblings of children with autism and to develop interventional treatments. Started in 2019, the study currently follows 53 high-risk and 26 low-risk infants.
Kathryn Couger, BCBA, LABA, who worked as a clinical research coordinator on the project, described a study that involved documenting early markers of autism using a specialized assessment tool. She explained that the team found that this tool was useful in identifying five key early markers of autism in infants.
In a second presentation, Victoria Weisser, BCBA, LABA, Infant Research Coordinator, shared research documenting the emergence of early markers and the outcomes of early treatment in a sibling. As a result of early intervention in applied behavior analysis (ABA), the participant no longer met the requirements for an ASD diagnosis at 22 months. Meanwhile, Morgan Scully reviewed data on the treatment of motor stereotypy in an infant at risk of ASD. Non-physical redirection of stereotypy to toy play and reinforcement for toy engagement was effective in decreasing stereotypy to near-zero levels.
NECC also shared that is has developed a new assessment tool called the Early Marker of Autism (EMA), which is designed to evaluate participants who are from birth to 18 months of age. The goal for this early identification tool is for it to be validated and then offered to pediatricians to help with early detection of autism.
For more information and additional examples of the breadth and depth of research at NECC, read our Research News newsletter at https://www.flipsnack.com/thenewenglandcenterforchildreninsight/necc-research-news-fall-2021-vcj4mnhgvu.html
About The New England Center for Children
The New England Center for Children® (NECC®) is an award-winning autism education center and research institute. Committed to creating a world where autism is not a barrier to happiness, growth, and independence, our community of teachers, researchers, and clinicians provide comprehensive services including day and residential programs, partner classrooms in public school systems, consulting services, and the ACE® ABA Software System (www.acenecc.org).
NECC is committed to creating an equitable workplace for our diverse team and providing industry-leading staff professional development opportunities, specifically with our on-campus graduate degree partnership programs. The result is a growing pool of autism educators and researchers that impact the lives of children with autism both at NECC and around the world. The New England Center for Children is based in Southborough, MA, and operates a center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Learn more at www.necc.org.
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The New England Center for Children
Kim Ruscitte
(508) 481-1015 x3288
necc.org
Kim Ruscitte
(508) 481-1015 x3288
necc.org
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