Where’s Mom!? Navigating Caregiver Separation, Transition, & Playtime Alone Using SBT

1 General Learning CEU

Course Abstract: Many learners struggle to generalize skills of all types across different caregivers. This contrast may occur between parents, parents and grandparents, different behavior technicians on the learner’s team, or between treatment team and family. Other learners may have a challenging time continuing to engage in a current activity when a caregiver’s attention is shifted to another person or task, or when a caregiver may need to step out to engage in another activity while another steps in to fill their place. Many of these adjustments create a setting event for many EOs: these changes signal potential shifts in the schedule of reinforcement for our learners and can occasion high rates of avoidance or escape behavior.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify at least 5 dimensions necessary to include in treatment design of this type of branch.
• Describe 3 different SBT CAB branch styles related to separation from a caregiver.
• Design an SBT CAB branch related to physical separation from a caregiver.

Presenter Bio:
Emily Kearney is a BCBA in the US who focuses on using the nuance of our science across populations to teach effectively and safely. She is guided by the Constructional Approach, which aims to alleviate and prevent distress and discomfort by focusing on missing skill repertoires rather than behavior reduction. Using a component/composite analysis allows us to determine what is missing and why the behavior that might otherwise be labeled as disruptive, challenging and so forth, is perfectly logical from the perspective of the learner. The SBT process fits very nicely into this framework for some learners and Emily really enjoys mentoring other BCBAs to understand the components in a deep way so that they can best apply them in unique combinations for their learners, and really tease out the best teaching methodology to reach socially-significant outcomes for their learners.