CBAT Presents Posters at Behavior Analysis & Learning Supports Conferences

May 11, 2011

Heartland AEA staff members shown at the Heartland Association for Behavior Analysis Conference are Brenda Bassingthwaite (University of Iowa), Bindy Brown, Stacy Volmer, Denise White-Staecker, Nicole Craun, Wendy Acri, Emily Donovan, Jill Dunn and Tracy Kries.

Members of Heartland’s Challenging Behavior and Autism Team recently attended and presented posters at the Heartland Association for Behavior Analysis Conference and the Iowa Department of Education’s Learning Supports Conference.

The purpose of the Heartland Association for Behavior Analysis is to promote the analytical science of behavior and its associated technologies within the Heartland area (Nebraska, Iowa and the surrounding area).

While at the conference, Heartland AEA staff had the opportunity to hear Dr. Mark Sundberg speak about assessing and teaching verbal behavior to children with language delays. Dr. Sundberg has given over 450 conference presentations and workshops nationally and internationally and has taught 80 college courses on behavior analysis, verbal behavior, sign language and child development. He currently conducts research and consults to schools and programs in the San Francisco Bay area.

Heartland staff members were able to learn more about direct instruction and verbal behavior strategies that they will incorporate into their trainings and their practice with students.

At the conference Denise White-Staecker, Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant, presented a poster titled “Increasing Behavior Supports in Iowa’s Schools – A Collaboration Between Iowa’s Area Education Agency Challenging Behavior Teams and the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.”

The Iowa Department of Education’s Learning Supports Conference was held in April. Learning Supports is a state initiative focusing on addressing barriers to learning to ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn and succeed. The six content areas for learning supports include Supplements to Instruction, Family Support and Involvement, Community Partnerships, Safe, Healthy and Caring Learning Environments, Transitions and Child/Youth Engagement.

This was the first Learning Supports Conference with a challenging behavior strand.

Heartland staff who attended had the opportunity to hear Dr. Anjali Barretto, Associate Professor in Special Education at Gonzaga University, speak about conducting functional analyses in the classroom. Dr. Barretto’s area of expertise is in functional analysis and food refusal in young children.

Challenging behavior teams across the state presented their work related to the Challenging Behavior Services project. Heartland staff was able to learn more about conducting functional analyses in the natural setting, which they will use in their practice with students.

The Challenging Behavior Services project, funded by the Iowa Department of Education and implemented by the University of Iowa’s Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), provides a learning opportunity in behavior assessment and intervention to AEA challenging behavior teams across the state. This is Heartland’s second year involved in the project.

At the Learning Supports conference, Bindy Brown, Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant, presented about challenging behavior services at Heartland, and her colleagues Wendy Acri, Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant, Nicole Craun, Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant and White-Staecker presented on the assessment and intervention involved in three case studies.

White-Staecker and Craun felt both conferences were great professional learning opportunities for them and their team members.

“Dr. Sundberg is a leader in verbal behavior and attending the conference was a great opportunity to hear him speak,” White-Staecker said.

“Our team has learned so much from the CDD staff, and it’s been exciting to watch our skills grow,” Craun said. “Because of our participation in the (Challenging Behavior Services) project over the past two years, we have enhanced our skills in behavior assessment and are better able to serve those students with challenging behavior.”

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Heartland AEA is an intermediate education agency serving 11 counties and 136,000 students in Central Iowa. The Agency is committed every day to helping people grow, develop and learn.