|
|
2019-2020 Van Loan Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
|
|
| |
| |
-
(XXX) 555 - Methods in Secondary Education
This course is a hands-on experience about teaching within the licensure candidate’s content area. Classroom and field methods of teaching these concepts to early adolescents and adolescents are integrated within the course. Activities, content, and materials are related to the particular Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Curriculum Frameworks. Each candidate’s experience will be differentiated around the methodology particular to that content area. Consistent across each content area will be best practices for instruction, particularly those supporting literacy.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 501 - Collaboration in Childhood Clinical Disorders
Interventions for children with challenging behaviors require collaboration across different disciplines. Nearly all children with extremely challenging behaviors receive services from a combination of providers, including teachers, BCBAs, social workers, psychologists and/or psychiatrists, and others. In this course, students will learn how to work effectively in a trans-disciplinary model, develop joint goals with professions from multiple disciplines, and effectively work as a member of a collaborative team. Students will learn to evaluate the quality of evidence for any approach and sort through the numerous claims of treatments that parents and professionals must navigate.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 502 - Social Skills for Learners with Emotional Behavioral Disorders
Social skills interventions are particularly important for young children and are a large area of focus in the school setting. Despite the increased focus in this area of learning, there are few empirically validated strategies to teach these types of skills. Furthermore, many treatments are used as packaged interventions, making it difficult to isolate the critical variables. Within this course, positions about “best
practices” in educational and clinical approaches to assessment and intervention in these areas will be
emphasized. Students will explore empirically validated treatments and evidence based practice issues
related to intervention in the realm of social skills.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 503 - Collaboration in Mental Health Settings
Interventions for individuals with mental health disorders can be challenging because of the required collaboration across many different disciplines. While behavior analysis began in mental health settings, the number of BCBAs currently working in these settings is extremely limited, making collaboration even more challenging in these settings. This course will give students the tools they need to collaborate with a variety of professionals, in a setting that is not always welcoming to behavior analysts. Students will learn to evaluate the quality of evidence for any approach and sort through the numerous claims of treatments that parents and professionals must navigate.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 504 - Skill Building for Adults with Psychiatric Disorders
Individuals with psychiatric disorders, especially adults who may be living in the community with limited
supports, may require additional instruction in specific areas of daily living (such as coping skills, problem solving, and accessing community supports) in order to live independently. This course will teach students how to identify skills to work on with these individuals, as well as provide students with methodologies to teach these skills that are potentially beneficial.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 505 - Organizational Behavior Management (OBM): Translating Behavior Analysis to the Organization
This course will explore the basics of Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and how the practice translates basic, evidence-based behavioral principles to the organizational group. Whether the organization is a Fortune 500 company or an applied behavior analysis (ABA) clinical start-up, the tools taught in this course can be applied to enhance both group and individual performance, while supporting a culture of success.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 506 - Performance Management
This course will explore evidence-based organizational behavior management (OBM) techniques and
applications, from onboarding processes to decreasing overall turnover, in order to provide students with the skills to improve performance management at both the systems and individual employee levels. Adequate performance management in an organization starts with recruitment, but must be consistently applied throughout in order to ensure overall success of the organization. Through the application of OBM technology, students will learn how to most effectively develop and implement recruitment, onboarding, performance review and retention initiatives.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 507 - Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) in Clinical Practice
This course will directly relate OBM technology to clinical practice for behavior analysts. Throughout the
course, content will explore ways to use behavioral technology in the day-to-day operations of the practice, foster positive performance for both clinical and operational personnel, and more! Behavior analysts provide the highest-quality programming to clients, so learn how to apply the same behavior principles in the workplace!
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 508 - OBM in Business
This course will directly relate OBM technology to general business practices that are applicable to any small business/corporation. Throughout the course, content will explore ways to use behavioral technology in the day-to-day operations of the business, foster positive performance for all levels of employees, and more! The content of this course evaluates everything from common management mistakes to how compensation might not be the best motivator for every employee. Students will leave this course with a wide-range of knowledge about how to best manage an organization.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 509 - Applied OBM
Through content written by industry leaders in Organizational Behavior Management, this course will allow students to apply this technology in real-time. Students will develop a research protocol to either establish new practices or improve current practices for an assigned company as a consultant. During the semester, the student will be responsible for implementing this design from start to finish. By the end of the semester, the student will have a completed project eligible for submission to one of the many peer-reviewed behavior analytic journals.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 510 - Conceptual Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis
This is the first course in the BCBA sequence and is the prerequisite for all other courses. The field of behavior analysis comes from the philosophical world view of behaviorism, which will be focus of this course.
Behavior Analysis is a scientific approach to the study of behavior, with behavior emphasized as the proper subject of investigation. It is concerned with describing, explaining, predicting, and changing behavior. Environmental events are the primary independent variable in our science, although it is recognized that genetics and other biological variables are needed to fully explain behavior. This course will cover the conceptual analysis of behavior, which addresses philosophical, theoretical, historical, and methodological issues that underpin our profession. Within this course the definition and characteristics of behavior analysis will be reviewed. Students will learn the distinction between behaviorism and the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis. Additionally, critical terms, definitions and concepts in applied behavior analysis will be reviewed. Journal articles from the behavior analytic literature will be used to emphasize the interrelationship between behavior analytic principles and effective education and clinical treatment.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 512 - Verbal Behavior
This is a Master level course on the theoretical basis of the analysis of verbal behavior as it relates to the Science of Human Behavior. The course will focus primarily on the seminal work of B.F. Skinner and his book Verbal Behavior (1957). The course will cover the biological, environmental, and motivational factors affecting human verbal behavior. Structural and developmental issues, as well as implications for language training and remediation are integrated throughout the course. Criticisms of Dr. Skinner’s work are examined, along with current empirical and conceptual advances in research and theory.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 514 - Experimental Analysis of Behavior
This course was designed to give students an overview of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. The course will provide examples of EAB in a laboratory setting and how this research has shaped our applied science.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 516 - Business Practice in Behavioral Consultation and Personnel Management
Effective behavioral consultation and personnel management using the principles of applied behavior analysis leads to the use of business practices that promote sustainability and build capacity across a variety of applied settings. Further, use of these business practices encourages the use of evidence-based interventions through effective consultation and training of staff. This course will focus on teaching you how to assess systems level problems and identify appropriate solutions that can be applied through behavioral consultation and management.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 520 - Supervision and Management
This course provides future supervisors in the field of applied behavior analysis with the tools and training needed to provide quality, effective supervision. Students will be introduced to a variety of concepts crucial to providing supervision including behavioral skills training, performance feedback techniques, competency-based training, and collaboration with professionals and non-professionals. Inclusive in the course is the 8-hour training sequence required by the BACB, Relias and BDS modules relating to supervision. Future supervisors will create a final project that can be used to train supervisees and staff using evidence-based supervision techniques.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 521 - Evidence-Based Curriculum Development
This is a master’s level course that reviews the literature on evidence-based curriculum design as based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The course will focus primarily on evaluating evidence-based teaching strategies and customizing these strategies to meet the needs of a wide array of learners. The course will cover a sample of curriculum and competency-based assessments, teaching strategies related to the development of skills across various domains (e.g., communication, self-help), analysis of learner performance data and common errors in instructional design. Topics related to 21st century learning are also explored. By the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to design teaching programs based on the skills that they have learned in this course.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 522 - Treatment of Severely Challenging Behavior
In the field of Special Education and providing services for individuals with developmental disabilities, it is not uncommon for providers to encounter severe behavioral challenges that are resistant to traditional interventions. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a review and analysis of interventions and strategies for the management of severely challenging behaviors. Case studies will be provided to guide students in the process of developing plans to teach clients safer, prosocial behaviors, manage the behavior when it occurs, training of staff and parents, developing crisis protocols, assessing environments for safety in managing the behaviors and working with staff to maintain morale as they encounter these behaviors while developing a rapport with their clients.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 523 - Intro to ABA and Psychiatric Disorders
Prevalence of mental illness continues to rise in adolescent and adult populations nationwide. Professionals working in applied behavior analysis, special education, psychology, and other human service fields are likely to encounter clients who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. The purpose of this course is to expose students to emotional and behavior disorders within adolescents and adults and the unique intervention techniques that the field of applied behavior analysis can offer to these populations. Students will learn about research on interventions for these populations including behavior analytic assessment/analysis of client skill deficits and behavior problems, implementation of behavior analytic interventions based upon identified functions of behavior, and implications to consider regarding each specific disorder and/or presenting clinical problems. Students will be taught techniques to utilize when presented with case studies of clients with varying forms of emotional and behavior disorders and will construct a treatment plan utilizing behavior analytic principles and techniques.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 524 - Variations and Applications of Functional Analysis Procedures
The functional analysis (FA) methodology as originally described by Iwata and colleagues (1982/1994) was one of the first published attempts to demonstrate the functional relations between behavior and the environment. Since its inception, there have been almost 1,000 published replications, extensions, and modifications to the original procedures. This course will review the history of the FA, leading up to the various published FA formats, that have often lead to successful function-based treatment outcomes. For example, modifications due to time constraints, safety-related issues, idiosyncratic variables, and practical constraints, will be reviewed. This course is based on a scientist-practitioner model, and should provide a thoughtful analysis and critique of current evidenced-based procedures and how and when they can influence practice.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 525 - Basic Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis
Within this course critical terms, definitions and concepts in applied behavior analysis will be reviewed. Students will learn about the underlying concepts and principles upon which behavior analysis is based. Journal articles from the behavior analytic literature will be used to emphasize the interrelationship between behavior analytic principles and effective education and clinical treatment.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 526 - Systematic Review, Competency Evaluations, and Portfolio
This is a master’s level course that provides students with comprehensive, intensive, and interactive instruction in all items related to the BCBA Task List. Students will become more familiar with evidence-based practices in applied behavior analysis by summarizing and analyzing recent published research and by completing interactive online modules Students will also analyze a number of clinical scenarios in ABA and will create an applied skills portfolio. The course will also require students to demonstrate competency in all skills from the BCBA Task List through the completion of comprehensive quizzes, key terms fluency assessments, and an oral examination.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 527 - ABA in Public School Special Education
This is a Master level course that captures both the theoretical basis and applied nature of behavior analytic consultation to school systems. The course will cover schools as consultation site, theoretical models of school consultation, evidence-based practices in schools, functional analysis and behavioral programming in schools, treatment selection and evaluation, understanding stakeholders, staff training, social validity, and maintenance and generalization. Applied issues related to school based consultation are integrated throughout the course.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 534 - Measurement & Experimental Evaluation of Behavioral Interventions I
An initial course in the use of single-subject research methodology within applied behavior analysis, which includes an overview of behavioral measurement, single-subject research designs, and methods of data analysis. Single-case experimental designs are a hallmark of applied behavior analysis, operating to demonstrate functional relationships between applications of independent variables and subsequent effects upon dependent variables. This course will examine theoretical and practical issues in experimental design and control, providing students with a framework for practical applications of research methodology to examine the efficacy of interventions through the use of a natural science approach across educational, clinical, and community settings.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 541 - Behavioral Assessment
This course introduces students to important areas of assessment in behavior analysis, including functional assessment, skills assessment, and preference assessment. The primary focus will be conducting a variety of assessments, the results of which will be used to formulate intervention programs in a subsequent course (ABA 554-Behavior Change Procedures). Course content is based on current best practices in applied behavior analysis and will include a detailed overview of assessment procedures used. Emphasis is placed on helping students understand the conceptual issues that led to the development of the assessment methodology and the practical issues in conducting such assessments.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 554 - Behavior Change Procedures
This course will focus on behavioral methodologies and their application to applied settings such as public and private schools, home-based services, and adult service agencies. In this course students will utilize assessment data accrued during ABA 541 to develop a comprehensive treatment plan for a client utilizing a variety of different behavior change procedures. Students will learn behavior change procedures related to both decreasing problem behavior and skill acquisition.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA510, ABA525, ABA534, ABA541
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 555 - Intensive Practicum/Seminar I
Students will gain practical experience in the design and implementation of skill acquisition and behavior reduction programs with children diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, consistent with the Fourth Edition of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board’s Task List. All students will work at a school to meet a minimum of 375 hours over a 15 week semester, attend and complete agency orientation, meet agency guidelines for volunteers and/or employees, and will be supervised by employees of the school who serve as Adjunct faculty within the Institute for Behavioral Services (IBS) of Endicott College as well as a member of the IBS faculty. Students will meet one-to-one with their supervisor for a minimum of one hour, twice per week and in a two-hour group supervision meeting once per week. Additionally, the student and partner school supervisor will meet with a designated member of the IBS faculty three times during each semester to review the student’s progress. The student will complete a portfolio to document completion of all required practicum experiences.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 565 - Ethical Issues in Behavior Analysis
This course was designed to provide students with an overview of the ethical requirements for behavior analysts. We will review the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts published by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. Ethical issues outlined in the Behavior Analyst’s Certification Board’s Task List will be reviewed in the context of this class (http://www.bacb.com/). We will also review other ethical codes, describe issues in credentialing in the field, and discuss ways to protect both consumers and professionals in the context of ethics. This is an online course - you will be able to do most of your work when you want and at the pace you want. Deadlines are given to aid you in completing content in a timely manner.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 568 - Intensive Practicum/Seminar II
Students will gain practical experience in the design and implementation of skill acquisition and behavior reduction programs with children diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, consistent with the Third Edition of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board’s Task List. All students will be supervised by employees of the school who serve as Adjunct faculty over a 15 week semester, attend and complete agency orientation, meet agency guidelines for volunteers and/or employees, and will be supervised by employees of the Partner School who serve as Adjunct faculty within the Institute for Behavioral Services (IBS) of Endicott College as well as a member of the IBS faculty. Students will meet one-to-one with their supervisor for a minimum of one hour, twice per week and in a two-hour group supervision meeting once per week. Additionally, the student and partner school supervisor will meet with a designated member of the IBS faculty three times during each semester to review the student’s progress. The student will complete a portfolio to document completion of all required practicum experiences.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 584 - Measurement and Experimental Evaluation II
Research in Applied Behavior Analysis leads to the development of evidence-based interventions and expands our knowledge of treatments that make a socially significant difference. Understanding the process of science is essential for your professional careers. This course will help you to review literature, synthesize literature, evaluate the testability of hypotheses, and critically assess the results of studies and their impact for clinical practice.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 585 - Thesis/Capstone in ABA
Research in ABA leads to the development of evidence-based interventions and expands our knowledge of treatments that make a socially significant difference. For your degree, you must conduct a study, a comprehensive meta-analysis-literature review, or a capstone project that increases our understanding of how to effectively intervene. You will be required to complete the project as a thesis, but this can be done after the completion of this course. (It will be required for graduation.)
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 698 - Thesis Completion
In this course students will complete their thesis/capstone requirement for their program. During the course of the semester students will conclude their research/data collection and finish their final product for their thesis/capstone. Students will participate in an oral presentation at the conclusion of the course.
Credits: 1
|
| |
-
ABA 699 - Comprehensive Review
The purpose of the comprehensive exam is to demonstrate knowledge of the substantive issues, key research questions, theory, empirical evidence, and implications related to a specific area.
Credits: 0
|
| |
-
ABA 701 - The History of Behavior Analysis
The History of Behavior Analysis provides the student with a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the field of Behavior Analysis. Students will trace the initial conceptual development of the field from the writings of Watson and Pavlov to the more contemporary works of Baer, Wolf and Risley. Having an appreciation for the history of the field will serve the students to better understand the challenges faced by current and future professionals.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 705 - Behaviorism and Philosophy of Science
The application of science to the study of human behavior was paradigm shift in the study of why people do what they do. The philosophy of this perspective is “behaviorism,” a unique way of thinking and viewing the world both outside and inside the skin. Students in this course will study the work of Skinner and Chiesa and learn their definitions of radical behaviorism, how it differs from earlier schools of psychology, and how this philosophical perspective influences how we view the world and behavior in it.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 710 - Conditioning and Learning
The course will provide an overview of basic behavioral processes. Presents information relating to human and nonhuman learning with a focus on the experimental analysis of behavior. Topics covered include environmental feedback mechanisms, schedules of reinforcement, establishing operations, multioperant performances, discriminative stimulus control, stimulus equivalence, rule-governed behavior, behavioral pharmacology, and remembering/forgetting. The course also focuses on research methodologies and the critical analysis of research. Students apply their skills using computer-based simulations of laboratory experiments.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 715 - Verbal Behavior and the Science of Human Behavior
This is a Doctoral seminar on the theoretical basis of the analysis of the verbal behavior as it relates to the Science of Human Behavior. The course will focus primarily on the seminal work of B.F. Skinner and his book Verbal Behavior (1957). The course will cover the biological, environmental, and motivational factors affecting human verbal behavior. Structural and developmental issues, as well as implications for language training and remediation are integrated throughout the course. Criticisms of Dr. Skinner’s work are examined, along with current empirical and conceptual advances in research and theory.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 720 - Professional and Ethical Issues in Behavior Analysis
This course will familiarize the student with ethical issues and responsibilities of behavior analysts. Informed consent, due process, protection of confidentiality, and selection of least intrusive, least restrictive behavior change procedures will be presented and discussed within the context of case method. Ethical decision making processes will be emphasized, and the relationship between ethics and law will be explored.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 730 - Research Methods and Applied Behavior Analysis
The field of science promotes controlled research as an important tool for investigating the phenomena of interest. The same holds true for the scientific study of human behavior. Research methodology is used by behavioral researchers to identify functional relations among variables and behavior. In this course, students will learn the reasons for research being the best method for determining functional relations. They will also learn the fundamental characteristics of good research design (e.g., internal validity, reliability, etc.), and use this information to critique published research studies. Lastly, students will study in depth a particular aspect of research and present to the class on this topic.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 735 - Advanced Seminar in ABA Research
The profession of Applied Behavior Analysis has often been described as both a methodological and conceptual enterprise. A common feature among its many applications is a unique approach to experimental research and program evaluation: commonly referred to as “single-subject design.” The purpose of this course is to review those elements common to the research model used in Applied Behavior Analysis and to evaluate the applicability of such techniques to various populations and settings.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 740 - Analysis & Intervention in Developmental Disabilities
Much progress has been made in the assessment and treatment of developmental disabilities. This course will survey the changes in how developmental disabilities are categorized, conceptualized, and treated. Special attention will be paid to the distinction between intellectual disability and other disabilities and to the definition of autism spectrum disorders.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 745 - Experimental Design & Analysis
Research design is crucially important for the field of behavior analysis. Through carefully controlled research studies, behaviorists have been able to identify the fundamental principles of behavior and moved explanations of behavior from traditional introspective viewpoints to environment-based causes. To continue to identify principles of behavior, careful experimental design and the analysis of results must continue to be applied following scientific standards. In this course, students will further learn about the complexities of experimental analysis and careful measurement and analysis of results.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 751 - Research in Social Skills Training
In this course students will critique various research-based social skill interventions that can be implemented with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Throughout the course students will analyze the various procedures that can be implemented (e.g., video modeling, script fading, the teaching interaction procedure) as well as the empirical basis for these procedures. The course will review different strategies for the evaluation these procedures in empirical investigations. Finally, students of the course will critique several of the procedures that are being implemented today which have no empirical evidence to their effectiveness.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 752 - Curriculum Design for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disabilities
Designing an individualized curriculum for children and youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities can seem like a difficult task, particularly since no two children are alike and each presents with unique skill deficits, behavioral excesses, and learning characteristics/styles. In addition, clinicians are faced with practical limitations imposed by funding, treatment duration, availability of trained professionals, and family resources. It is crucial that clinicians prioritize treatment targets and manage resources carefully if they are to ensure the best outcome for each child. Curriculum design for ASD is a multi-step process, including: assessment, interpreting the assessment results, and matching/creating lessons to meet individual needs. This course provides a step-by-step process for designing an individualized curriculum by outlining vital features of quality assessment and how to link assessment results to curriculum design. Further, this course provides practice in writing curriculum programs. Particular emphasis is provided on skills that emerge after the ages addressed by the VB-MAPP and ABLLS and before the ages addressed by the AFLS (age 5 to adolescent).
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 753 - Behavioral Research in Psychopharmacology
The Introduction to Behavioral Pharmacology is a difficult course and requires considerable effort by the student. Although the course is arranged in a lecture-discussion format, there will be ample class discussion of important issues. With this arrangement, each student is expected to draw on his or her background to make helpful and thoughtful contributions to the class discussions when they arise.
The Science of behavioral pharmacology examines a variety of relationships between the effects of pharmacological agents and the ongoing behavior of organisms including humans. More precisely, these relationships consist of contemporary and historic events in both the external environment and the internal neurochemical environment. Behavioral pharmacology is a discipline that emerged as the result of the combination of the experimental analysis of behavior and classical pharmacology. Its formal inception is often dated to a paper by Peter B. Dews in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics in 1955, which he showed that the behavioral effects of pentobarbital and amphetamine depended upon the schedule of reinforcement maintaining that behavior.
The discipline differs from other approaches to the study of drugs that act upon the nervous system, such as psychopharmacology, in that behavioral pharmacologists emphasize the study of the behavior of intact organisms (rather than hypothetical determinants) and the behavioral mechanisms of drug action are also studied. We will examine how these variables determine what is observed as overt behavior.
General topic areas include, but are not limited to drug abuse, mental illness, and brain function. The experimental analysis of behavior provides the theoretical framework from which we may examine drug-behavior interactions. This conceptual framework will form the basis for our studies. The characterization of drug classes on the basis of their effects on operant behavior is a widely recognized and well-used technique in both academic and industrial pharmacology.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 754 - Behavioral Research on Complex Skill Acquisition
Behavior analysis was envisioned as a comprehensive science of all behavior, simple and complex, from the time it was conceived by B.F. Skinner in the early part of the 20th century. Philosophically and theoretically, this position has maintained. However, the vast majority of published empirical research in behavior analysis has been conducted with relatively simple behaviors. The sad result is that other branches of psychology go relatively unchallenged in their claim own the study of complex human behaviors, performances which are often referred to as “cognitive” by the rest of the psychological community. In order for behavior analysis to fully develop into the comprehensive science of psychology it was always intended to be, a great deal more research in complex human behavior is needed. Fortunately, the field of behavior analysis has been enjoying a surge of research activity into complex human behavior in the last two decades. Most of this body of research has been done under the banners of stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory, and naming. Research in these areas has strived to establish and evaluate behaviors that show the property of generativity or “emergence,” that is, complex performances emerge that have not been directly trained and which cannot be explained merely with stimulus eneralization. The purpose of this course is to survey recent research that has attempted to apply findings from the derived relational responding literature to establishing complex skills in individuals who do not yet display them. This course is a doctoral level seminar on peer reviewed research on behavior analytic procedures for teaching complex skills to children with and without autism and other developmental disorders. The skills taught in the studies we will read for this course are at a level of complexity that is higher than what has traditionally been done in applied behavior analytic research, involving primarily one operant under the control of one discriminative stimulus or establishing operation. The skills addressed in this course are, for the most part, complex generalized relational operants. The majority of research we will read comes from the stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory, and naming traditions. For the first two decades of research in this area, work primarily focused on demonstrating the existence of complex generalized operants in people who already possessed them in their repertoire, not the establishment of such operants in people who did not already demonstrate them. The research we will read for this course, however, has primarily been conducted in the last decade and focuses on establishing complex behavior in individuals who do not already display the repertoires. This work is relevant because it helps lay the groundwork for teaching these skills to individuals who might otherwise not develop them. But research in complex behavior is also important for the field of behavior analysis because it pushes the scope of the field into areas of psychology that have traditionally been claimed by cognitive psychology and for which behavior analysts have had little to contribute. Some of the skills covered by research in this course include working memory, perspective taking, problem-solving, self-monitoring, rule-governed behavior, imagining behavior, understanding humor and nonliteral language, and more.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 756 - Research in the Application of Applied Behavior Analysis to Pediatric Medical Issues
Behavior analysis has many applications related to the medical care of children. Behavioral strategies can assist in the adherence of and compliance to medical regimens and improve the health of medically vulnerable children. Students will learn about specific medical conditions, the medical treatment of these conditions, and ways behavior analysts can effectively improve the care of children with these conditions.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 758 - Bridging the Gap: The Scientist-Practitioner Model
This course provides the student with a comprehensive review of the scientist-practitioner model as it relates to the field of behavior analysis. A historical overview of the model will be discussed in regards to its foundation in the fields of medicine and psychology. The application of the scientist-practitioner model within the field of behavior analysis will be then be assessed. Specific exemplars of empirical articles characteristic of the model will be reviewed. Throughout the course, guest speakers across different domains of behavior analysis will be invited to share their expertise and experience with the scientist-practitioner.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 760 - Technology of Teaching Seminar
The science of behavior has discovered many laws that govern and influence behavior. A large part of that discovery has been identification of the principles under which learning can be maximized. The application of behavioral principles to the field of education has revolutionized the classroom. In this course, students will first review the principles of learning as they apply to learning. Next, students will study different models for the application of behavioral science to the field of education, learning specific models of educational delivery, that are all conceptually systematic to the science of behaviorism.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 761 - Topical Seminar
This course is designed to provide doctoral students with a highly specialized seminar in a timely topic. The course will be taught by a content expert in the identified area and the content will be vetted by the Program Director. Topics include Organizational behavior Management, Feeding Issues, Applications of ABA to Global Issues, Applications of ABA to Behavioral Health.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 762 - Clinical Immersion
This course is designed to help doctoral students in ABA develop high level clinical and training expertise in a specialized area that they may pursue professionally in both clinical and research applications. Clinical mastery and the development of training tools are the primary outcomes of this immersion practicum.
Prerequisites & Notes
Completion of first year requirements.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 765 - Research Immersion Practicum I
This class is designed to immerse doctoral students in ABA in research literature analysis, and to develop competencies in the construction of comprehensive literature reviews in areas of personal research. Students will be supported in identifying research questions, in finding extant literature, in summarizing literature, and in creating comprehensive literature reviews. Students will also be supported in identifying lines of empirical research that stem from this literature analysis.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA730, ABA745
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 766 - Research Immersion Practicum II
This course is designed to move ABA doctoral students into high levels of research productivity. Students will be supported in the development of research protocols, in piloting research protocols, and in describing results in the context of how they add to existing literature. This builds on Research Immersion Practicum I by moving students into active experimental design, conducting research, and writing up results for publication.
Prerequisites & Notes
ABA730, ABA745, ABA765
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 800 - Skinner’s Behaviorism
The application of science to the study of behavior was a major paradigm shift from the field of psychology up to that point. John Watson and B.F. Skinner were the initial proponents of such thinking, and their efforts propelled the science to what it is today. In this course, students will read the original texts of Skinner to understand the prevailing thinking at that time, and what led Skinner to propose a scientific analysis of human activity. The texts in this course offer insights to Skinner’s rationale for such an approach, and how it can be used to study a wide range of behaviors and situations. Students will learn how the scientific study of human behavior can explain different events in a way that results in relinquishing traditional theoretical perspectives on why people do what they do.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 805 - Applied Behavior Analysis in Education
Behavior analysis has much to contribute to the field of education. The scientific analysis of behavior has discovered many principles of learning that have direct relevance to education and training of all types of learners. Education based upon the behavioral sciences can yield better learning, faster learning, with better generalization and maintenance. In this course, students will read about educational practices based on a strict application of behavior analysis, reviewing research that shows the power of this technique across a wide range of content area and learners.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 810 - Principles of Public Policy
This course will explore the “who, what, where, why and how” of public policy. The course will begin with some discussion on the nature and rationale of public policy and how an idea actually becomes part of a policy agenda. The second section will address the process, structure, and context of policy making and the complicated system of “actors” (both official and unofficial) and institutions that establish and implement public policy. The third segment will focus on the rules, strategies and culture of policy development and the role of position, power, language and politics in achieving implementation. Various short case studies will illustrate how policy issues have been addressed – sometimes well and sometimes poorly.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 812 - Analysis of Legislature Behavior
This course will examine the role of legislatures and the behavior of the members at both the state and federal level. The first part of the course will provide a historical review and analysis of how legislatures operate, the procedures by which they make laws, how they interact with the other branches of government and constituents. Considerable attention will also be directed toward discussing the “rules of the game” and procedural changes which have occurred over time. We will also examine the electoral process and the underlying contingencies that influence how and why legislators and voters make their decisions, and how those decisions affect policy outcomes. Throughout the course, we will rely on real time events and issues to validate what is covered in class.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 814 - American Politics and Governmental Organizations
This course will examine the politics, institutions and processes which occur at the federal, state and local level and the impact that our American system of government has on each of us. Ironically, most of the media and public attention is directed toward Washington, yet the decisions made by state and local governments have a greater impact on most people’s daily lives. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of the role and operation of the various governmental entities, to highlight the similarities and differences which occur at the local, county, state and federal level, and to review how these variations ultimately shape the politics, policies and outcomes which are achieved.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 820 - Personnel Training and Development
In behavior analytic careers, leaders must train both the skilled implementers of this generation and the next generation of leaders. To remain conceptually systematic, the training and development activities should be done from a behavior analytic framework and with behavior analytic tools. In this course, we will review several state-of-the-art systems for training staff and for implementing an organization-wide approach to training. We will also address methods for assessing the success of training, for monitoring drift, and for ensuring continued growth and expansion of training foci.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 825 - Effective Consultation and Collaboration
Intervention in autism requires collaboration across different disciplines and with many varied team members. Nearly all individuals with autism receive a combination of services, including ABA, speech therapy, and OT. It is imperative that services be delivered in an integrated and collaborative manner, to maximize outcomes. Behavior analysts working on teams strive to ensure that data guides deci¬sion-making, and use data to assess the impact of all treatment choices. Teams we consult to or collaborate with do not always share such goals, and successfully intervening with collaborators requires a complex skill set. In this course, students will learn how to work effectively in a trans-disciplinary model, how to develop joint goals with professions from multiple disciplines, and how to effectively work as a member of a collaborative team. Furthermore, the course will review elements of successful consultation. Specifically, we will review how to define goals, provide in¬terventions, and monitor the success of consultation. The emphasis will be on working in and with these teams to shape data-based decision making and the use of empirically verified treatments. Collaboration with parents will also be highlighted. Students will also be taught how to define roles, provide recom¬mendations and negotiate differences of opinion and systemic limitations. Consultation will also be reviewed in the context of effective intervention and behavior analytic best practices.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 830 - Understanding the Tenets of the Positive Behavioral Support Approach
Positive behavior support has received a great deal of attention for its potential contribution to the treatment of challenging behaviors in learners with special needs. In this course, students will study seminal works in PBS, and will identify the core characteristics, values, and foci of PBS interventions. In addition, we will explore the application of PBS to a variety of populations and settings. Students will become fluent in the philosophy and theoretical underpinnings of PBS.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 835 - ABA and PBS: Derived, Related, or Independent Approaches
PBS has been touted as both an extension of ABA and as independent of ABA. In the first course in this sequence, students became very familiar with the philosophy and application of PBS. In this course, we will examine the relationship between PBS and ABA. Students will explore the shared and discrepant characteristics of PBS and ABA, and will address how each approach handles some centrally important is¬sues such as outcome and quality of life. Students will be required to critically evaluate the approaches and argue for their independence and their connection. An ABA formulation of the philosophy and goals of PBS will be developed.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 840 - Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities
The purpose of this course is review nearly three decades of research included in Iwata, B. A., Bailey, J. S., Neef, N. A., Wacker, D. P., Repp, A. C., & Shook, G. L. (Eds.). (1997) Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities (3rd ed.). Children and adults with devel¬opmental disabilities present an array of challenges. The articles in this third edition trace a behavior-analytic response to these challenges. Early papers focus on defining procedures for describing and measuring patterns of behavior and on strategies for defining functional relationships between environmental events and changes in behavior. Our understanding of basic principles has allowed attention to the key questions facing children and adults with developmental disabilities. Together, the articles provide an accessible vision of a field that has both struggled to understand the lawful relationships between behavior and environment and applied this knowledge to make substantive improvement in the lives of people with disabilities.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 842 - Behavioral Approaches to Treatment
The application of science to the study of behavior has yielded a rich technology of treatments and strategies that have been demonstrated to be effective. The emphasis on research design and quantification of results have developed a rich literature supporting the effectiveness of the techniques that derive from a behavior analysis and are conceptually consistent with the fundamentals of behavior discovered through behavioral science. This course will review behavioral approaches to treatment in two ways – from a global, conceptual perspective, as well as an examination of particular methodologies. The perspective throughout this course will be one of behavior analysis.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 855 - College Teaching Practicum
This course will focus on practical issues and methods for teaching in the college environment. It will focus on selection and use of teaching materials; course structure and development of instructional sequences; the role of lecture, discussion, and active participation; student evaluation and grading practices; and student motivation. Students will design the course material and teach an undergraduate or M.Ed. course under the supervision of their Dissertation Chairperson.
Prerequisites & Notes
Note: This course is Pass/Fail.
Credits: 0
|
| |
-
ABA 865 - Research Tool Demonstration
Traditionally, Ph.D. programs required the Doctoral student to demonstrate fluency in two or more romance languages in order for the student to have the ability to read the classics and benefit from previously published research. With the evolution of technology, this standard has given way to the need for modern students to demonstrate competency in the contemporary tools necessary to function as a successful Behavior Analyst. Research tools can include computer-programming skills, the use of alternative language systems such as American Sign Language or Braille, web-based data collection/graphing systems, or computer educational management systems. This course is designed to assess the student’s demonstrated competency in the use of a minimum of two such research tools. Research tools are designed to provide the candidate with a proficiency in a restricted content area that is essential to their ability to function as a professional Behavior Analyst. It is the responsibility of the student’s Dessertation Committee to specify the tools that the student will use to meet this standard.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 870 - Research Project
The course consists of supervised experience in the development and conduct of an empirical problem oriented research project related to the assessment and modification of behavior with various types of clients/settings. Under the supervision of their Doctoral Advisor, students may begin this project at any time during their academic tenure in the Ph.D. program, prior to enrolling in this one semester course. The focus of these activities may include assessment interviews and observations, analysis of controlling variables within the immediate environment of the client, assessment of resources for change, and the implementation and evaluation of behavior change procedures for whom previously demonstrated evidence based interventions have failed. Students will give oral presentations and evaluation to the faculty supervisor and fellow doctoral students on a regular basis during research conferences. The expectation of this course is the production of a formal manuscript submitted for publication and/or presented at a professional conference.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 886 - Qualifying Examinations
Qualifying examinations are designed to provide an opportunity for the student to demonstrate proficiency in two topical areas of study within Behavior Analysis, and a third examination required in the area of Research Methodology. The student, in conference with the Dissertation Committee, should define the two areas of the research and professional literature that is appropriate for intensive study. Academic competence in these areas may then be demonstrated by the completion of essay examinations, which are read and evaluated by the Dissertation Committee and one independent reader selected by the Dissertation Committee from members of the graduate faculty, or the fourth member of the Dissertation Committee as approved by the Van Loan School of Graduate and Professional Studies. This course is Pass/Fail.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ABA 891 - Doctoral Dissertation I
This course will provide the structure for designing, conducting, writing, and presenting dissertation research. Students will meet individually with their Dissertation Chairperson and will attend a general research meeting at least monthly. Formal presentation and discussion of the dissertation research will take place during these research meetings. Based on the standards outlined in the Student Handbook, the student will write and present their final Dissertation in a meeting open to the Endicott Community.
Credits: 6
|
| |
-
ABA 892 - Doctoral Dissertation and Review Paper Continuation
This course will provide the student additional time beyond the tranditional ABA890 Dissertation course to complete the requirements for graduation noted below. The structure for designing, conducting, writing and presenting dissertation research will remain the focus of this course. Students will meet individually with their Dissertation Chairperson and will attend a general research meeting at least monthly. Formal presentation and discussion of the dissertation research will take place during these research meetings. Based on the standards outlined in the Student Handbook, the student will write and present their final Dissertation in a meeting open to the Endicott Community.
Credits: 0
|
| |
-
ABA 893 - Doctoral Dissertation II
This course will provide the structure for designing, conducting, writing, and presenting dissertation research. Students will meet individually with their Dissertation Chairperson and will attend a general research meeting at least monthly. Formal presentation and discussion of the dissertation research will take place during these research meetings. Based on the standards outlined in the Student Handbook, the student will write and present their final Dissertation in a meeting open to the Endicott Community.
Credits: 6
|
| |
-
ACC 175 - Financial Accounting
Introduces students to basic accounting concepts and principles used in today’s business world. Emphasis is placed on the preparation of financial statements and maintenance of accounting records throughout the accounting cycle. Other topics within the framework of this course include the valuation of inventory, basic principles of internal control, accounting for the acquisition, depreciation and disposal of fixed assets, and current liabilities.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ACC 185 - Managerial Accounting
Continues to develop the foundation for a thorough understanding of basic accounting principles. Emphasis is placed on the accounting issues that are relevant to the corporate form of business organization including, but not limited to, long-term liabilities, investments, dividends, and retained earnings. Other topics within the framework of this course include cash flow statements, and an introduction to cost accounting concepts and systems including budgetary planning.
Prerequisites & Notes
ACC 175
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ACC 301 - Intermediate Accounting I
CIS Madrid, Spain-Business
This first in a series of three courses in intermediate accounting (ACC 301, ACC 302, and ACC 303) expands upon the principles covered in first year accounting and provides the foundation for students to advance to higher level subjects in financial accounting. The series focuses on how accounting as an information system can be used to generate a transparent, consistent and comparable presentation of a business’s financial condition. Students learn the fundamentals of financial statement analysis, including the use of horizontal, vertical and ratio analysis, to evaluate financial strength and performance. The conceptual framework of accounting, the accounting process, uses and relationships between financial statements and the asset side of the balance sheet are also covered.
Prerequisites & Notes
ACC 175
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ACCT 521 - Financial Reporting and Analysis
This course is designed to provide the analytical framework needed to understand and evaluate financial statements, employ and interpret financial ratios, and perform basic financial analysis. We will examine the current financial statements and ratios of companies to assess their profitability and risk and to identify the connections between their strategic decisions and their financial footprints. ”Profit” is examined through a critical lens.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ACCT 550 - Taxation
Part of being financially savvy is having an understanding of how taxation affects business decisions; e.g., forming a corporation and raising capital, operating the firm, distributing cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, expanding through acquisition, and divesting lines of business. Taxes have a direct impact on cash flow and often divert 30 to 40 percent of the firm’s pretax cash flow to the government, effectively making the government the single largest stakeholder in many firms. Having an understanding of taxation and how firms plan accordingly is important for just about any career path you choose. Topics include the philosophy of taxation, income determination, deductions and credits, acquisition and disposition of property, and related gains and losses examined through the eyes of taxable entities (i.e., individuals, C corporations, S corporations and partnerships).
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ACCT 560 - Managerial Cost Accounting
This course studies the fundamentals of cost accounting within an industrial organization. The accounting functions relative to materials, labor, and factory overhead are treated in detail. Job order and process cost systems are fully explored. Topics include budgeting, product costing, activity-based costing, activity-based management, standard costs, cost variance analysis, cost estimation and prediction, cost-volume-profit analysis, performance measurement, non-manufacturing cost analysis, cost allocation, and transfer pricing. The material is examined from the perspective of students preparing to use management accounting information as managers, to support decision making (such as pricing, product mix, sourcing, and technology decisions) and short- and long-term planning, and to measure, evaluate, and reward performance.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ACCT 570 - Intermediate Accounting
This course extends many of the concepts introduced in Accounting. The goal is to enable you to become more knowledgeable, skeptical consumers of financial information by teaching you to (1) understand and be able to reconstruct the accounting that produced the numbers you see in financial statements and the financial press, and (2) anticipate circumstances where financial information is likely to be biased or imprecise, in part by understanding the alternatives that were available at the time that a choice among accounting treatments was made. It gives students the opportunity to understand how management decisions can influence reported income, asset, and liability values, and offers students the tools necessary to analyze the impact of alternative reporting decisions on financial statements.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AMS 101 - American Popular Culture
Explores the many forms that American culture has taken throughout the country’s history, including bestsellers and beliefs, myths and movies, legends and laws. Students will learn to recognize and interpret cultural symbols and to better understand the complex world in which they live. Satisfies World Cultures General Education requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AMS 150 - American Sign Language I
Addresses issues related to deaf culture and cultural diversity in the United States, including historical and theoretical approaches to signed languages. It examines the principal theories of sign language learning utilizing the two classroom techniques: expressive (speaking) as well as receptive (listening). The course is designed to build classroom communities that respect American Sign Language, the native language of the majority of deaf people in North America.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 100 - Art & World Culture
Compares and contrasts the values that give rise to varied artistic practices. Examines the different concepts of what constitutes art in different cultures. Explores specific social, political, and religious conditions that provide understanding of works of art at a particular moment in history. Treats both Western and non-Western art. Satisfies the World Cultures General Education requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 101 - ART 101 - Visual Art and Cultural Values I: Prehistory to c. 1310
Explores the production of art from prehistory (40,000 BCE) through the Medieval Period (1400 CE). Examines art from a variety of cultures and geographic regions. Introduces students to the conventional designations of stylistic periods, treats major works and artists in this span of time, and familiarizes the student with the traditional methods of art history. Satisfies Aesthetic Awareness and Creative Expression General Education requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 102 - Visual Art and Cultural Values II: Early Fourteenth Century to the Present
Examines the production of art from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries. Explores art from a variety of cultures and geographic regions. Introduces students to the conventional designations of stylistic periods, treats major works and artists of these eras, and acquaints the student with the traditional methods of art history. Satisfies Aesthetic Awareness and Creative Expression General Education requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 105 - Drawing and Composition I
Foundation-Drawing strategies for visual representation, mark-making, and interpretive skills. Focus on “traditional” still-life, landscape, and figurative sources. Use of black and white charcoal, pencil, inks. Satisfies Aesthetic Awareness and Creative Expression General Education requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 106 - Drawing and Composition II
Foundation-Drawing emphasis on advanced tasks, skills, and decision-making. Focus on still-life, landscape, figurative, and mediated sources. Use of black and white or color charcoal, pastel, pencil, inks, photos.
Prerequisites & Notes
ART 105.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 110 - Foundations of Creative Therapies
This introductory course allows students to establish a primary understanding of the history and use of various creative and expressive arts therapy modalities. An underpinning of play, creativity, and imagination will weave together the use of sound, movement, drama, visual arts, and literary arts
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 115 - Two Dimensional Design
This course examines the fundamental principles of two-dimensional design, including the formal elements of composition and visual organization: line, shape, volume, pattern, texture, space, motion, value, and color. Students will investigate the design elements and principles through a series of studio projects, increasingly exploring the interrelationship between form and content. This course will provide a functional and theoretical base for advanced study of art and design.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 201 - Painting I
An exploration of painting with respect to drawing and design elements, and the creative use of materials and techniques. Work from a variety of subject matter sources. Satisfies Aesthetic Awareness and Creative Expression General Education requirement.
Prerequisites & Notes
ART 105
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 202 - Painting II
Painting requires sophisticated skills in drawing and design. With the medium of oil paint the students work from observation, memory, imagination, and other sources. Experimentation with the medium and the development of techniques call for students to explore a range of descriptive and expressive effects.
Prerequisites & Notes
ART 201
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 207 - Color Theory and Light
An investigation in the physics and application of color, and how artists and designers control colors’ many characteristics. Students learn how colors interact and affect each other, and how to apply this knowlege to many aspects of art and design. The course ascertains why humans prefer certain colors and color combinations. The historical foundations for color usage are examined.
Prerequisites & Notes
ART 105 or permission of instructor
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 241 - Figure Drawing: Anatomy for Artists
Artists and designers explore gesture, axis, and dynamics of the human form through drawing and painting. Life drawing, portraiture, and occupational studies are subject matter to be explored utilizing pencil, charcoal, pastel, and water-based paints. The human figure is examined from scientific, socal and artistic perspectives, and includes issues of representation.
Prerequisites & Notes
ART 105
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 255 - Creative Bookmaking
This course introduces the fundamentals of photographic imaging, including; camera controls, exposure, optics, which are the basis of image capture. Through imaging assignments, critiques, readings and writing assignments, the students are introduced to the principals of photographic language, including image construction and composition as well as the use of images with regard to subject matter and context. Satisfies Aesthetic Awareness and Creative Expression General Education requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
ART 404 - Imagination and Creativity
This seminar course will help each student develop an awareness of his or her own creative process. Students will learn to generate strategies for enhancing creativity through readings and discussion. Satisfies the Aesthetic Awarenses and Creative Expression General Education requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 527 - Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders
It has been more than fifty years since the social and communication differences characteristic of autism were first described by Leo Kanner. During this time, research has produced a wealth of knowledge about the complex developmental processes involved in autism. The triad of impairments in social relationships, communication, and behavior and their relationship with the idiosyncratic profile of cognitive strengths and weaknesses will be discussed in this course. This course will provide a framework for understanding these developmental differences in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The definitions and critical features of autism spectrum disorders will be delineated. The learning, behavioral, and social characteristics of autism will be highlighted. In addition, we will review the state-of-the-art means of diagnosis and assessment of ASD.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 537 - Developing Individualized Goals for Learners with Autism
Learners with autism have significant deficits in many areas. Effective programming requires comprehensive goal setting, clearly defined objectives, and ongoing assessment of progress. Several useful resources will be reviewed for their utility in assessing the individual and guiding goal development. These include the ABLLS-R and the VB-MAPP. In addition, the importance of functionality as a guide for curricular progression throughout the lifespan will be reviewed. The development of Community-relevant skills and independence will be included.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 540 - Adolescents and Adults with ASD: Transition and Meaningful Engagement
This course addresses the needs of adolescents and adults with autism, and will prepare students to assess and plan individual treatment plans to ensure meaningful outcomes. Assessment of vocational readiness, employment option preference, and relevant social/navigation skills will be thoroughly reviewed. Models of employability will be reviewed, with a focus on reducing barriers to work, increasing the acceptance of employers to individuals with ASD, and evaluating the success of employment from a number of perspectives. Creative housing models will also be covered. In addition, quality of life will be a main focus of the class.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 550 - Supervision, Training and Organizational Management in an Autism Service Provision Context
This course addresses the specific issues in creating quality services for individuals with ASD. The course will introduce the student to how Organizational Behavior Management issues and strategies are relevant to the provision of services for this unique population of learners. Major areas of focus include the identification of best practices for staff training and for staff supervision. In addition, issues in the ethical implementation of interventions will be explored, both individually and organizationally. Systems to ensure quality intervention and reduce risk will be identified.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 570 - Understanding and Remediating Communication Deficits in Learners with Autism
Communication deficits are a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorders. In this course, students will learn about the variability and complexity of difficulties in communication, including vocal and non-vocal communication. Alternatives to vocal communication will be discussed. Students will learn how such deficits can be assessed, prioritized, and addressed through effective goal setting and objective evaluation of progress. Students will be introduced to the verbal behavior classification system as a way to conceptualize core communication skills.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 571 - Understanding and Remediating Social and Play Skill Deficits in Learners with Autism
Social and play skills are among the most difficult to teach, and are the areas in which clinicians have made the most modest gains. In addition, many intervention strategies used are not empirically validated. Furthermore, many treatments are used as packaged interventions, making it difficult to isolate the effective elements of instruction. More recent ideas about “best practices” in educational and clinical approaches to assessment and intervention in these areas will be emphasized. Students will explore empirically validated treatments and evidence based practice issues related to intervention in the realms of play and social skills.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 574 - Evidence-Based Practice
Autism is a fad magnet. Pseudoscientific and anti-scientific treatments abound, and claims of effectiveness are often made with no regard to empirical evidence. In this context, it is imperative that professionals understand the state of evidence for different interventions, and develop skills to evaluate claims. Students will learn the criteria for what constitutes effective intervention. Students will learn the process for finding evidence and for discriminating baseless claims from true scientific evidence. Finally, students will rate the existing evidence for commonly applied treatments.
Credits: 3
|
| |
-
AUT 578 - Effective Collaboration Across Disciplines
Intervention in autism requires collaboration across different disciplines. Nearly all individuals with autism receive a combination of services, including ABA, speech therapy, OT, and others. It is imperative that services be delivered in an integrated and collaborative manner, to maximize outcomes. The unifying thread across disciplines is data-based decision making. At the level of the individual, the team must assess the impact of all treatment choices. Students will learn how to work effectively in a trans-disciplinary model, how to develop joint goals with professionals from multiple disciplines, and to effectively work as a member of a collaborative team. In addition, students will learn to evaluate the quality of evidence for any approach and sort through the plethora of treatment claims that bombard parents and professionals. Furthermore, students will learn effective methods for training skills in staff members. Residency requirement.
Credits: 3
|
| |
Page: 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8
| 9
| 10
|
|
|
Print this Page