Keywords

behavior analysis, synchronous reinforcement, adult participants, health-related behaviors, staff training, research, applied behavior analysis, reinforcement schedules, clinical environments, behavior modification

Summary

Dr. Claudia Dozier and Dr. Katie McHugh discuss their research on synchronous reinforcement schedules and their application in promoting tolerance of health-related routines for adults with disabilities. The conversation covers the shift in behavior analytic research towards adult participants, the challenges of implementing synchronous schedules, and the importance of staff training in applied settings. Our guests share insights on the effectiveness of their methods, modifications made during their study, and future directions for research in this area.

Guests

Dr. Katie McHugh is a Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst with over a decade of experience serving individuals with developmental disabilities across clinical, academic, and research settings. She earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology from the University of Kansas under the mentorship of Dr. Claudia Dozier, following two graduate degrees in Applied Disability Studies with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from Brock University. Katie currently serves as the Clinical Director at Atlas Autism Health, where she leads clinical programming and staff development initiatives. Her research focuses on tolerance-building interventions, health-related routines, and reinforcement-based strategies for individuals with disabilities.

Dr. Dozier is Professor and Chair of the Applied Behavioral Science Department at the University of Kansas. Her research has been conducted in the clinical environments in which she and her doctoral students work (early childhood environments as well as adult service environments)---it spans both translational and applied research and across the lifespan on topics such as assessment, treatment, and prevention of behavior disorders; classroom behavior management; staff training; schedules of reinforcement; and preference and reinforcer efficacy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:54 Introducing Guests and Research

05:53 The Shift to Adult Participants in Research

11:49 Health-Related Behaviors in Research

14:53 Understanding Synchronous Schedules of Reinforcement

17:52 Comparing Synchronous and Conjugate Schedules

20:53 Applications of Synchronous Schedules in Behavior Analysis

23:48 Challenges in Implementing Synchronous Schedules

26:45 Exploring Response Cost and Reinforcement

29:55 Staff Training and Implementation Challenges

32:52 Comparing Synchronous Schedules to Graduated Exposure

35:49 Modifications and Successes in the Study

38:42 Future Directions and Ongoing Research

41:44 Concluding Thoughts and Future Research Directions

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Connect with our guests

Atlas Autism Health: https://www.atlasautismhealth.com/

Dozier lab website: https://dozierresearchlab.weebly.com/

KU ABS website: https://absc.ku.edu/

Dr. Dozier ABS website: https://absc.ku.edu/people/claudia-dozier

Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinelmchugh/

https://www.facebook.com/DepartmentOfAppliedBehavioralScience

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4157382/