Clinical Behavior Analysis

Applied behavior analysts use applied research to create and implement effective evidence-based procedures in schools, homes, and the community, which have proved effective in addressing behaviors associated with autism and other developmental disorders. The principles underlying this therapeutic approach have been increasingly effective when applied to other populations, settings, and behaviors. Clinical and Organizational Applications of Applied Behavior Analysis explores data-based decision-making in depth to inform treatment selection for behavior change across various populations and contexts. Each chapter addresses considerations related to data collection, single-case research design methodology, objective decision-making, and visual inspection of data. The authors reference a range of published research methods in the area of applied behavior analysis (ABA) as it has been applied to specific topics, as well as utilizing their own clinical work by providing numerous case examples. Reviews current evidence-based practices to provide a comprehensive guide to the application of ABA principles across a range of clinical contexts and applications Divides clinical applications into three sections for ease-of-use: child, adult, and broad-based health Explores the breadth of ABA-based treatment beyond autism and developmental disorders Draws upon a range of subject-matter experts who have clinical and research experience across multiple uses of ABA

Clinical behavior analysis uses verbally based interventions to treat a range of psychological problems in an outpatient context. This volume offers a collection of current research in this rapidly expanding field, with a special focus on acceptance issues in therapy and the importance of the therapeutic relationship.

In the past decade, an increasing number of scholars and practitioners have contributed to the developing field of clinical behavior analysis. These writers have drawn upon long-standing behavior analytic principles and recent advances in verbal behavior research to explain the development of a variety of clinical disorders, advocate alternative approaches to clinical assessment and classification, develop new therapeutic interventions, and suggest new treatment goals. The field has grown enormously and it is fair to say that clinical behavior analysis has made some unique contributions to the fields of psychopathology, clinical assessment, and psychotherapy. The purpose of Clinical Behavior Analysis is to bring together in a single place a sampling of the work that constitutes the growing field of clinical behavior analysis.

Nonlinear Contingency Analysis is a guide to treating clinically complex behavior problems such as delusions and hallucinations. It’s also a framework for treating behavior problems, one that explores solutions based on the creation of new or alternative consequential contingencies rather than the elimination or deceleration of old or problematic thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Chapters present strategies, analytical tools, and interventions that clinicians can use in session to think about clients’ problems using decision theory, experimental analysis of behavior, and clinical research and practice. By treating thoughts and emotions not as causes of behavior but as indicators of the environmental conditions that are responsible for them, patients can use that knowledge to make changes that not only result in changes in behavior, but in the thoughts and feelings themselves.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a highly functional discipline that, instead of searching for abstract, internal causes for human behavior, looks to external factors that can be influenced. Once identified, these factors can be manipulated to make meaningful, positive improvements in the lives of real people through positive behavior change. Not surprisingly behavior analysis has been applied to a wide range of human activities, from helping troubled teens to organizing industry to maximizing sports performance. ABA interventions for these diverse problems are often creative — and they tend to be effective. In this volume, some of the field's foremost practitioners offer their expert perspective on a range of topics within ABA. Each chapter is fully referenced and contains a set of reading objectives to facilitate deeper understanding and further discussion of its subject area. While these discussions will be of particular interest to academic behavior analysts and graduate students, clinicians and other practitioners will find the research review helpful and informative.

This book is a guide for child psychotherapists interested in applying clinical behavioral analysis to their work and for clinical behavior analysts working with children. In the literature of behavior analysis, a considerable number of publications present clinical strategies to more effectively conduct therapeutic interventions with adults and adolescents, but there is still a lack of publications that address practical aspects of the work of the child behavior analytic therapist. This volume aims do fill this void by bringing together chapters written by therapists who share their views on theoretical and practical aspects of child care and describe the stages and challenges of the psychotherapy process with clients of up to 12 years of age. Chapters in this volume provide an overview of the specific knowledge and techniques clinical behavior analysts need to master to work with children, such as theories of child development from the perspective of behavior analysis; biological influences on the development of child behavior; clinical assessment and definition of therapeutic goals in the work with children; how to include functional play in clinical settings; and how to involve parents and the school in the therapeutic process. Additionally, specific chapters focus on the application of third wave behavioral therapies, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, to the clinical work with children. Clinical Behavior Analysis for Children will be a valuable resource for psychotherapists and clinical psychology students looking for a guide to understand the specificities of clinical behavior analysis applied to child psychotherapy.

As noted by its title, the focus of this book is centered on an examination of behavior therapy with children in clinical settings. Throughout, our goal has been to examine theoretical underpinnings, review empirical research, and illustrate clinical utility for a variety of behavioral proce dures with children. In pursuing this goal, we have described child behavior therapy as an approach based on empirical methodology, de rived from behavioral principles, and focused upon adjustment disor ders of children. The hallmark of such an approach is its accountability the extent to which the procedures and techniques presented in this text are demonstrably accountable must be determined at least partially by the reader. As students of child behavior, we have become sensitized to two trends in behavior therapy with children during the preparation of this book. First, we have been concerned with the simple application of behavioral procedures to children, irrespective of developmental con siderations. All too frequently, assessment strategies and treatment pro cedures found to be useful with adults have been applied to children in an indiscriminate fashion. For example, some recent studies have examined and assessed the very same social skill deficits in children as in adults (e. g. , lack of eye contact, delayed latency of response, and absence of positive commendatory responses). Surely, skill deficits differ from age to age just as they differ from situation to situation.

Written by leading experts in language and cognition, this groundbreaking behavior analysis textbook brings the study of verbal behavior into the 21st century with cutting-edge research. Students and clinicians in the burgeoning field of applied behavior analysis will find the theoretical foundation they need to effectively help the increasingly diverse clients seeking their services. The origins of behavior analysis can be traced to the pioneering work of B.F. Skinner. Skinner’s fundamental insights into how human behavior is shaped, maintained, and can be changed were powerful and far-reaching. Some of Skinner’s most innovative contributions were in the study of language. Behavior analytic work in the area of language and cognition did not stop with Skinner, however. Indeed, Skinner’s work in this area has inspired considerable expansion, particularly with an eye toward more sophisticated verbal and cognitive repertoires. This important volume provides an overview of the concepts and core behavioral processes involved in language and cognition. You’ll find a deeper exploration of complex linguistic and cognitive skills, including generative responding, learning by observation, and perspective taking. Also included are clinically supported interventions based in mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and emotion regulation to help clients improve complex language, social, and academic skills. The future of behavior analysis is here. With its focus on the importance of language and cognition, this textbook is a must-read for anyone studying or practicing in the science of behavior.