Toilet training: one of the most socially valid skills that behavior analysts are confronted with, yet still often misunderstood and misapplied. Many families of children with autism spectrum disorder find toilet training challenging and rely on their applied behavior analysis therapy team for help.

How do we help our clients and their families with such a socially important skill? This webinar will review the most recent literature on toilet training for children on the autism spectrum. We will discuss updates to and ethical implications of the Azrin and Foxx (1971) procedure, particularly as it relates to assent. We will examine what to do when the most commonly used procedures fail and how to set our clients up for success. Finally, we will discuss toilet training in the telehealth era and ways to empower families with tools and skills necessary to carry out successful toileting programs at home.

Learning Objectives

  • Attendees will describe the components of an effective toilet training program, based on current research.
  • Attendees will discuss the ethical implications of the Azrin and Foxx (1971) procedure, particularly as it relates to assent.
  • Attendees will identify ways to increase effectiveness of toileting programs and what to do when they fail.
  • Attendees will describe how to train parents to implement toilet training programs, with special emphasis on doing so through a telehealth model.

About the Presenter

Amanda DiGangi
Dr. Amanda DiGangi is Clinical Professor and Associate Division Director in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D), Amanda has been actively engaged in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education across a variety of settings for more than 30 years. As a former special education teacher, Amanda collaborates with public schools on issues related to severe challenging behavior, classroom positive behavior interventions and supports, and programming for students with autism and other developmental disabilities. She has worked with individuals ages 4 months through adult and has provided training and supervision, face to face and online, for a wide range of participants. Amanda has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in special education and ABA for the last 25 years, specializing in the application of ABA to a variety of real world settings. Her research centers on the use of ABA with infants and toddlers with Down syndrome and play-based ABA for young children with autism. Her interests include particular focus on organizational behavior management (OBM) and application of OBM in school-based settings. She has recently earned a certificate in OBM and is completing a second masters in organizational leadership. A lifelong animal lover with a keen interest in applied animal behavior, Amanda regularly volunteers her time on the behavior team for a no-kill animal shelter as well as the behavioral observations team at the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (Phoenix Zoo), and enjoys applying our phenomenal science in new and exciting ways.

Course information

  • Title: Toilet Training: Research, Trends, and Future Directions
  • Presenter: Amanda DiGangi Ph.D.
  • CEUs: 2.5 Learning - Ethics
  • Duration: 2 hours and 5 minutes
  • Customer Rating: (421)
$39.00

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