Interfering behaviors are prevalent among the learners we work with. Understanding why they occur prior to treating it is at the heart of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Ensuring we understand our learners’ behavior before we change them and minimizing the probability of escalation is at the heart of compassionate ABA (Hanley 2012; Hanley et al., 2014; Rodriguez et al., 2023). Labels such as “compassionate”, “trauma-informed”, “assent-based” are not referring to any newly discovered principles in the laboratory. Rather, it is a way for us to tact a set of procedures implemented under various conditions, that are conceptually systematic. ABA is a science, just like biology and physics. This set of knowledge informs us of the principles and processes that have generality across behaviors, settings, and species (Skinner, 1938). The science informs us of the relationship between behaviors and environmental variables so that we can describe, predict, control or influence behaviors. Taking another perspective, compassion is not the heart of the science but a dimension of our service delivery (Penney et al., 2023). We can select socially significant behaviors to address and use experimentation as a prime directive. Effective being the outcome. But at what cost? How we get the data matters. This presentation will discuss the prevalence of interfering behaviors in individuals diagnosed with autism and similar developmental disabilities. Attendees will learn about an alternative technology that focuses on safety, televisibility, and rapport. Attendees will also be given the tools to make the shift towards assent-based and trauma-sensitive approaches to keeping both students and staff safe.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe the variables influencing interfering behaviors.
2. Participants will be able to describe the assent-based and trauma-sensitive approaches to understanding and addressing interfering behaviors.
3. Participants will be able to describe compassionate values and steps to take when teaching skills.

About the Presenter

Celia Heyman

Celia L. Heyman is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has been providing behavior analytic services to learners ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. Celia is a faculty with Capella’s applied behavior analysis graduate program. She is a lead consultant and a predoctoral fellow at FTF Behavioral Consulting, under the mentorship of Drs. Anthony Cammilleri and Greg Hanley. Her clinical work focuses on the dissemination of trauma-sensitive and culturally responsive technology to addressing problem behaviors. Her research interests include equivalence-based instruction, relational frame theory, and acceptance commitment training. In her spare time, Celia enjoys championing and supporting aspiring behavior analysts by providing free resources and tutoring help through the ABA Study Group, a Facebook group that now has over 54,00 members worldwide.