Alongside our Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT) training courses and Masters degress in ASD and ABA, we offer online resources to support our research and your learning.
Prof. Carl Hugh is Professor and Head of School of Education and Human Development at the University of Bangor, Wales. His keynote address focused on teaching academic curriculum: Effective inclusion in mainstream classrooms. He discussed some of the key findings of behaviour analytic teaching methods, including Precision Teaching, in mainstream schools.
Dr Angelika Anderson (BCBA-D) and Prof Dennis Moore (BCBA-D), Faculty of Education and Krongold Centre, Monash University, Australia (after 2019 at Waikato University, New Zealand) describe their research regarding video modelling.
Dr Smita Awasthi (BCBA-D) is the founder and Director of Behavior Momentum, Bangalore, India. Dr Awasthi is a QUB Almuna and an internationally recognised autism expert, therapist and staff trainer.
Presenter: Professor Karola Dillenburger
The exact prevalence of autism in adults is not known. For children, recent prevalence figures in USA and Europe vary between 2% and 3½%. Prevalence figures in India are not known.
The diagnostic process is a method of categorising clusters of behaviour. The diagnostic category ‘Autism’ is used when difficulties in social communication and repetitive, stereotypical behaviours are persistent and the person requires specific, substantial, or very substantial support. Over 75% of people diagnosed with autism have co-occurring learning disabilities or mental health issues.
Early and intensive behavioural interventions that are based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) lead to the best prognosis. With these interventions, progress can be achieved across the life-span by enhancing social, academic, and life skills and establishing strategies that reduce the need for challenging behaviours.
Over 60% of adults diagnosed with autism live with their aging parents who worry about the future of their sons and daughters. Yet, over 70% of these parents have not made plans for future care arrangements.
Adults diagnosed with autism have the same dreams and ambitions as anyone else. They may want to work, have relationships and become parents, yet over 85% of these adults are not employed in the open market. Friendships and relationships are often difficult for them to achieve and maintain while issues related to parenting, or having a parent diagnosed with autism, have only recently come into focus.
This talk will present research on issues that are important for adults diagnosed with autism themselves and those who support them, including futures planning and job coaching. Culturally sensitive issues, such as relationships and parenthood, will also be addressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma_JvEh4PBU&t=166s
Presenter: Dr Helena Vad’urová (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic)
The Special Education Needs Employment Links (SENEL) project is funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ Key Action 2 programme. This co-operation for innovation and the exchange of good practices aims to help young people with SEND move successfully from vocational training (VET)and further education (FE) into employment.International educational institutions taking part in this project will produce and evaluate tools to support students with SEND as they move into employment. This collaborative project consortium is formed through the partnership working of eight different members. Stakeholders from England, Finland, the Czech Republic and Germany including one institution of higher education from each participating country, in conjunction with one national partner of differing organisational structures including VET/FE institutions, employers, NGOs and disability organisations.
Presenter: Prof Mickey Keenan BCBA-D; Ulster University
Currently in the USA, 44 States have introduced legislation to ensure that parents have access to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) for the treatment of autism; hundreds of major companies have also made ABA available under their health insurance policies for workers. The supporting evidence to introduce this legislation will be outlined as well as the training standards for professionals trained in ABA. This information will provide a basis for contrasting how ABA is viewed in Northern Ireland and in the UK in general. I will show how misinformation by professionals with no training in ABA has resulted in misinformation influencing politicians charged with developing policy for helping families of children diagnosed with autism. Prof Mickey Keenan FBPsS BACB-D is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and multi-ward winning Board Certified Behaviour Analyst-Doctoral; Award for Promoting Equality of Opportunity (British Psychological Society), Distinguished Community Fellowship (Ulster University), Personal Achievement Award (New York State Association for Behavior Analysis), Award for Public Service in Behavior Analysis (Society for Advancement of Behavior Analysis), Michael Hemmingway Award (Behavior Analysts Certification Board), Award for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis (Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis), and first International Advocacy Award from Autism Speaks. He is the founder of the registered charity Parent’s Education as Autism Therapists (PEAT). He led the development of www.simplestepsautism.com
SCIENCE OF TEACHING offers a comprehensive guide for teachers, educators, and anyone else interested in human behaviour on how learning occurs at a biological and environmental level. What shapes our behaviour? How do our behaviours become reinforced? What are some useful techniques to help shape human behaviour towards acquiring new skills and behaviours? How do we measure human behaviour and what is the science behind teaching and learning? These are all questions which are addressed within this film. The film covers many sections ranging from the biological basis of learning, tools for educators, precision teaching and technology in the classroom. (Featuring Prof Karola Dillenburger, Director of Centre for Behaviour Analysis, QUB)
Lynnae Ruttledge, National Council on Disability, USA
Lynnae serves as a President Obama appointee to the National Council on Disability, that advises the President, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policy. She serves as a disability policy advisor to DOCTRID (Daughters of Charity, Technology Research into Disability) and Michigan State University. In 2013, Lynnae also served as a Presidential appointee to the 15-member US Senate Commission on Long Term Care. She is past Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration with the US Department of Education (2010 - 2012).
Eli Allen is a 20-year-old student with autism from USA
Eli is talking about his autism, his experience with early ABA based interventions and his therapist, Dr Bobby Newman BCBA-D. (www.room2grow.org). Eli recorded this video himself. He responded to questions drafted by Prof Dillenburger. The video is shown with his permission.
Kayla is an 11- year old girl with autism from Australia.
Kayla speaks about her experience with ABA at a conference in Melbourne. Her talk followed a keynote address by Prof Dillenburger (seen at the beginning of the video). Her talk was prepared by Kayla and her parents. The video was taken by Kayla’s parents and is available with her and their permission.
Cillian is a 13-year old boy diagnosed with autism from Northern Ireland
Cillian recorded this video as an introduction to an autism conference held in Belfast. He wrote the text he is reading himself. Cillian has given permission to show this video.
Andrew is a teenager with Aspergers and lives in Northern Ireland
This short video was produced, recorded, and edited by Andrew together with his friend. Andrew gave permission to share his work here.
Prof Neville Blampied (University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand) "Chief nourisher in life’s feast – A behavioural view of sleep through the lifespan"
In this talk Prof Blampied outlines the importance of sleep and how chronic settling difficulties and nightwaking is common in infancy, sleep disruptions can occur in childhood and especially adolescence, and insomnia is a major issue for adults. Beginning with the work of Bootzin and his Stimulus Control Theory of Adult Insomnia, a behavioural perspective has contributed in important but under-appreciated ways to understanding and treating sleep disturbances across the lifespan.
Behavioural Insights into Autism: Lost in Translation? Inaugural Lecture (2016)
In this talk Prof Dillenburger outlines the international behavioural insights that have lead to the endorsement of ABA-based interventions in North America and asks the question why such endorsement has not yet permeated in Europe. She argues that new ideas are first ridiculed, then opposed and finally accepted as self-evident. She uses this process to present arguments for each of these phases.
SIMPLE STEPS is the multi-media resource for Applied Behaviour Analysis and Autism. SIMPLE STEPS was developed by parents and Board Certified Behaviour Analysts in Northern Ireland in collaboration with Ulster University and Queen’s University. It is available in 9 languages (English, German, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Icelandic, Swedish, Dutch, Portuguese, Czech). SIMPLE STEPS is owned and distributed by the Northern Ireland based charity Parents’ Education as Autism Therapists (www.peatni.com). Any proceeds are used to benefit families affected by autism.
You can find SIMPLE STEPS here www.simplestepsautism.com
Prof Bill Heward (Ohio State University; co-author of Cooper, Heron and Heward, Applied Behavior Analysis)
This workshop addresses issues related to the question: What behavior changes produced by what techniques will accrue maximal success for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in mainstream classrooms? This workshop examined research-based interventions that help students with ASD learn a number of skill sets that are considered critical for success in inclusive classrooms.
Prof Karola Dillenburger (QUB)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects about 2% of school children (approximately 5000 in Northern Ireland; Megaw, 2013). ASD is a pervasive neurodevelopmental condition with problems in building social relationships and very restricted interests When these children enter the labour market, only 15% of them find employment; a great loss to them and to society (Rosenblatt, 2008). The cost of autism per lifetime is estimated £2.7 billion per each year in the United Kingdom, and can rise to £1.23million per lifetime (Knapp et al 2009). There is strong, statistically significant evidence that early intensive behavioural-analytically based interventions can save fiscally, enhance the quality of life considerably and enable adults with autism to participate fully in an inclusive society (Orinstein et al., 2014). Internationally, the USA and Canada enact laws and policies to ensure that these scientifically validated, individually tailored, person-focussed interventions are offered to all those who need them, i.e., these interventions now are considered ‘medically as well as educationally necessary’ in most of North America. This presentation outlines the evidence on which international decisions are based and outline the implications of adopting similar policies for Northern Ireland.
[Policy Briefing] [Presentation] [Video]
Prof Karola Dillenburger (QUB)
Autism rates in Northern Ireland are rising by 0.2 annually and now stand at 2.3% in the school population. The cost to society for autism is £34billion in the UK, more than cancer, strokes, and heart disease combined; 36% of this cost is for adult services. The NI government has invested heavily in autism diagnosis and autism services. However, services are still not meeting the needs of those directly affected by autism and their families; and there is a feeling that the money is not always spent wisely. A major study was funded by OFMDFM (2012-2016) to explore poverty and social exclusion of children and adults affected by autism and their families, and to make policy and practice recommendations. In this presentation we will present data from all 4 phases of this study: (1) A thorough literature review exposed gaps in service provision; (2) An adult population survey (NILTS autism module) identified levels of autism awareness and attitudes; (3) A comprehensive secondary data analysis of existing data banks exposed levels of poverty and deprivation; and, (4) Detailed qualitative data analysis looked at staff training and gave voice to those on the autism spectrum and their families. Data from the research will be reported and recommendations outlined, including making cost-savings.
[Policy Briefing] [Presentation] [Video]
Prof Mickey Keenan BCBA-D (Ulster University)
Currently in the USA, 44 States have introduced legislation to ensure that parents have access to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) for the treatment of autism; hundreds of major companies have also made ABA available under their health insurance policies for workers. The supporting evidence to introduce this legislation will be outlined as well as the training standards for professionals trained in ABA. This information will provide a basis for contrasting how ABA is viewed in Northern Ireland and in the UK in general. I will show how misinformation by professionals with no training in ABA has resulted in misinformation influencing politicians charged with developing policy for helping families of children diagnosed with autism (http://theconversation.com/science-that-could-improve-the-lives-of-people-with-autism-is-being-ignored-39951).
[Policy Briefing] [Presentation] [Video]
Prof Mark Mathews (Emeritus Professor, Australia)
Prof Mathews outlines innovative ABA-based methods to support older adults with dementia in residential care. He describes how to reduce aggressive behaviours in resident with dementia, how to get her off medication, and how to prevent staff burn-out.
Dr Bobby Newman BCBA-D
Bobby Newman (room2grow.com) is Past President of both, the Association for Science in Autism Treatment and the New York Association for Behavior Analysis. He is a renowned author of numerous books on ASD and in his hand-on approach to challenged behaviours he shows how to best address every-day issues.
Children diagnosed on the autism spectrum often are challenged by specific daily living tasks, such as eating and sleeping. These behaviors can be particularly tricky to address, as they often include both environmental and physiological components. A methodology for exploring these kinds of challenges as well as ways of addressing them will be provided.
Dr Bobby Newman BCBA-D
Appropriate functional analysis can lead to a well-designed treatment plan that is effectively and consistently implemented. Practice in analyzing where and how challenges may arise and descriptions of how to address common errors in implementation are provided.
Dr Dana Reinecke BCBA-D
Dana is an award-winning trainer and teacher in ASD at the Sage Centre for Behaviour Analysis, New York. She addresses sensory issue and shows how to overcome barriers to learning. Dr Dana Reinecke BCBA-D is an award-winning trainer and teacher in ASD at the Sage Centre for Behaviour Analysis, New York.
Dana addresses sensory issue and shows how to overcome barriers to learning. Sensory issues commonly challenge individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She explores sensory-based coping strategies according to their functions. While some of these strategies may be described as sensory-seeking, others
may be described as sensory-avoidance. In both cases, individuals with ASD may experience physical discomfort and distress. We will explore ways to increase the individual’s success in coping with sensory issues and how to provide alternative sensory experiences that are more helpful to the individual with ASD.
Prof Karola Dillenburger BCBA-D
This presentation outlines the evidence base for ABA-based interventions.
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