Remembering Jay S. Birnbrauer

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Max Jones ◽  
Alan Ralph ◽  
Trevor G. Mazzucchelli
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Behavioural Intervention ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Early Intervention Program ◽  
Behaviour Modification ◽  
Behaviour Analysis ◽  
Australian Association ◽  
Applied Behaviour Analysis ◽  
The 1960S

Professor Jay Spencer Birnbrauer peacefully passed away on November 1, 2017, aged 83, in Perth, Western Australia. Known to his friends and colleagues in Australia as ‘Birny’, he was a pioneer of applied behaviour analysis on both the Australian and world stage. He contributed to the development of behaviour-analytic technology for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 1960s and played a central part in the formation of the Australian Behaviour Modification Association (known today as the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy) in the 1970s. He was a purist in the field of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and was relentless in his efforts to see ABA being provided to children with a developmental disability and their families. Birny's influence in Australia, and particularly Western Australia, was mainly imparted through his role with the Master of Applied Psychology program at Murdoch University. His most widely known piece of work, the Murdoch Early Intervention Program, was an early and important replication of Lovaas's evaluation of early intensive behavioural intervention for children with autism. Birny contributed significantly to our field and to many people's lives. He is remembered often and fondly by his many friends and colleagues.

Coercion in Educational Settings

1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray Sidman
Keyword(s):  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Original Problem ◽  
Negative Reinforcement ◽  
Educational Settings ◽  
Behaviour Modification ◽  
Control Techniques ◽  
Behaviour Analysis ◽  
Applied Behaviour Analysis ◽  
Behavioural Research ◽  
Question Under Discussion

AbstractCoercion is defined as the control of behaviour through (a) punishment or the threat of punishment, or (b) negative reinforcement — the removal of punishment. The question under discussion is whether coercion is an effective and a desirable basis for applied behaviour analysis, particularly in educational settings. Because coercive control has always been characteristic of society in general, the problem requires consideration of all facets of our culture. Behaviour analysts who use or recommend coercive techniques of therapy, behaviour modification, teaching, parenting, and so on, must be viewed in that context. In many areas of society, the practice of coercion has been refined and perfected to an extent that applied behaviour analysis has never approached. Applied behavioural research therefore contributes nothing new when it applies coercive methodology. Also, coercion produces side effects that may be even less desirable than the original problem behaviour. The occasional need to use coercion to deal with emergencies does not justify the advocacy of coercion as a principle of therapy. What basic and applied behaviour analysts can offer that is new and constructive are positive reinforcement techniques for teaching new behaviour and stimulus-control techniques for establishing cognitive repertoires.

‘The line between intervention and abuse’ – autism and applied behaviour analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Kirkham
Keyword(s):  
Shock Therapy ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Behaviour Analysis ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Applied Behaviour Analysis ◽  
Psychological Harm ◽  
Initial Work ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Anglophone World ◽  
The Individual

This article outlines the emergence of ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) in the mid-20th century, and the current popularity of ABA in the anglophone world. I draw on the work of earlier historians to highlight the role of Ole Ivar Lovaas, the most influential practitioner of ABA. I argue that reception of his initial work was mainly positive, despite concerns regarding its efficacy and use of physical aversives. Lovaas’ work, however, was only cautiously accepted by medical practitioners until he published results in 1987. Many accepted the results as validation of Lovaas’ research, though both his methods and broader understanding of autism had shifted considerably since his early work in the 1960s. The article analyses the controversies surrounding ABA since the early 1990s, considering in particular criticisms made by autistic people in the ‘neurodiversity movement’. As with earlier critics, some condemn the use of painful aversives, exemplified in the campaign against the use of shock therapy at the Judge Rotenberg Center. Unlike earlier, non-autistic critics, however, many in this movement reject the ideological goals of ABA, considering autism a harmless neurological difference rather than a pathology. They argue that eliminating benign autistic behaviour through ABA is impermissible, owing to the individual psychological harm and the wider societal impact. Finally, I compare the claims made by the neurodiversity movement with those made by similar 20th- and 21st-century social movements.

scholarly journals Effect of Music Intervention on the Behaviour Disorders of Children with Intellectual Disability using Strategies from Applied Behaviour Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-177
Author(s):  
Ritu Kalgotra ◽  
Jaspal Singh Warwal
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Music Intervention ◽  
Intellectually Disabled ◽  
Behaviour Analysis ◽  
Applied Behaviour Analysis ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Experimental Group

Purpose: The effect of music intervention on mild and moderate Intellectually disabled children was studied in non-randomized pre-test post-test control group design at an Indian state (Jammu) J&K.Method: The mild and moderate intellectual disabled children fulfilling inclusive and exclusive criteria were placed into control and experimental group. BASIC-MR part-B (pre-test) was administered on both the groups. Intervention in music activities using strategies from Applied Behaviour Analysis was introduced sequentially to the experimental group. Children in the control group were not involved in any additional activity. Both the groups were assessed after 6 months (post-test) to find out the effect of intervention.Results: The mean difference between both the groups of mild and moderate intellectually disabled children was significant. In both mildly disabled children, F (1, 2) = 36.937, p = .026 and moderately disabled children F (1, 13) =71.686, p = .000, the effect of the music intervention was highly significant.Conclusion: Music intervention program produced significant changes in the domains of violent and destructive behaviour and misbehaviours with others domains of children with mild intellectual disability. In children with moderate disability, music intervention produced significant changes in the domains of violent and destructive behaviour, misbehaviours with others, self-injurious behaviours, repetitive behaviours, hyperactivity, rebellious behaviours, and anti-social behaviours. Both mild and moderate intellectually disabled children didn’t show any significant change in temper tantrums, odd behaviours and fears domains of behaviour disorders.

Developing an Early Intervention Preservice Specialization in Speech-Language Pathology

1995 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne E. Roberts ◽  
Elizabeth Crais ◽  
Thomas Layton ◽  
Linda Watson ◽  
Debbie Reinhartsen
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Master's Level ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Speech Language Pathology ◽  
Early Intervention Program ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Family Centered

This article describes an early intervention program designed for speech-language pathologists enrolled in a master's-level program. The program provided students with courses and clinical experiences that prepared them to work with birth to 5-year-old children and their families in a family-centered, interdisciplinary, and ecologically valid manner. The effectiveness of the program was documented by pre- and post-training measures and supported the feasibility of instituting an early childhood specialization within a traditional graduate program in speech-language pathology.

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