Registration closes at 6:00 PM EST, 10/15/24
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Master components to master decision making
A PFA & SBT Workshop taught by Dr. Laura Hanratty
Register below for access to this 1.5 hour course (CEUs & Recording included at no cost)
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What happens after sign-up?
As soon as you register, you will be redirected to the page with the Zoom link and training content. The event is happening October 15th, 6 PM EST and will last for 90 minutes.
You will receive an email with the same information immediately upon registration, as well as one when the training comes available. Make sure you check your spam folder if the email does not go through. If you "report as not spam" your email provider will know to trust it in the future.
If you have any questions, technical problems, or further questions about the content, contact Matt at [email protected]
What you are going to learn
The PFA & SBT Workshop is specifically designed for the practitioner who is
- Understand the Theoretical Foundations of PFA so you know when you can modify the IISCA, pull out specific variables, and get a clear IISCA every time.
- Understanding and Implementing Skill-Based Treatment by mastering FCT, toleration training, and mixed schedules or reinforcements. This will help you hyper individualize the process to your learners, ensuring you make the most progress in the least amount of time.
- Ethical and Practical Considerations when making clinical decisions, especially focusing on dignity, safety, and caregiver involvement.
Sound familiar?
Within this 1.5 CEU course (available for free), you are going to learn
- Discover when and how to modify the IISCA for optimal results
- Learn to isolate specific variables with precision
- Guarantee a clear IISCA outcome every single time
- Master the art of FCT, toleration training, and mixed schedules of reinforcement
- Craft hyper-individualized processes for your learners
- Achieve maximum progress in minimum time
- Make confident clinical decisions that prioritize dignity and safety
- Learn strategies for seamless caregiver involvement
- Ensure your practice aligns with the highest ethical standards
Abstract
Practical Functional Assessment (PFA): PFA is an individualized, flexible approach to functional assessment that prioritizes safety, efficiency, and clarity in understanding the motivations behind challenging behaviors. It is conducted in natural settings, often with minimal exposure to risk, and focuses on identifying the conditions under which problem behavior is most likely to occur. PFA differs from traditional functional analysis in that it emphasizes collaboration with caregivers and stakeholders, uses synthesized reinforcement contingencies, and adapts to the individual’s environment.
Key Features:
- Synthesized Contingencies: Combines multiple triggers and reinforcers during the assessment to mimic real-life scenarios where challenging behavior occurs.
- Open-ended Interview: A preliminary step where caregivers provide information on the child's problem behavior and potential reinforcers.
- Test and Control Conditions: These conditions alternate during the assessment, where the test condition provides all identified triggers, and the control condition removes them to observe the impact on behavior.
- Focus on Safety: The assessment emphasizes maintaining safety by allowing immediate reinforcement of behaviors during test conditions.
Skill-Based Treatment (SBT): Skill-based treatment is the intervention that follows PFA, designed to teach the individual alternative skills to replace challenging behaviors. It is based on the premise that problem behaviors often arise from the inability to communicate or access preferred stimuli in appropriate ways. SBT is comprehensive, teaching a progression of skills that are functionally equivalent to the problem behavior but socially appropriate.
Key Features:
- Functional Communication Training (FCT): The individual is taught a simple communication response (e.g., asking for a break or for attention) that serves the same function as the problem behavior.
- Toleration Training: The individual is gradually taught to tolerate periods without immediate reinforcement while staying calm.
- Contextual Fit: Treatments are adapted to fit within natural routines and settings, ensuring they are practical and maintainable by caregivers or staff.
- Graduated Exposure: Over time, the individual is exposed to increasingly challenging situations while maintaining appropriate behaviors.
The Importance of Clinical Judgment in the PFA/SBT Process: Clinical judgment plays a critical role in the success of this process. While these procedures are data-driven and systematic, they also require the clinician to make informed decisions tailored to the unique needs of each individual. Effective clinical judgment ensures that the process remains flexible, safe, and focused on the individual’s well-being, while still adhering to evidence-based practices. Ultimately, sound clinical judgment allows behavior analysts to navigate the complexity of human behavior with nuance and care, creating meaningful and lasting behavior change.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives for Practicing Behavior Analysts
- Understand the Theoretical Foundations of PFA:
- Explain the rationale for synthesizing reinforcement contingencies during assessment.
- Understanding and Implementing Skill-Based Treatment:
- Define the key components of skill-based treatment (FCT, toleration training, and reinforcement contingencies).
- Ethical and Practical Considerations:
- Discuss the ethical implications of using PFA and skill-based treatment, including client dignity, safety, and caregiver involvement.
