Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

ABA 2103. Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides the student with an introduction to the concepts and principles of Behavior Analysis. Core concepts including motivation, reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and rule-governed and verbal behavior will be covered, along with examples of behavior change techniques that employ these concepts. This course satisfies 45 hours in philosophical underpinnings (concepts and principles) required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) in a free-standing course.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Undergraduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 3301. Understanding Autism. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Students will learn the cases, prevalence, diagnostic criteria, and related characteristics of the disorder, as well as behavioral manifestations. Students will also be introduced to the evidence-based practices developed to help children and adolescents with ASD to reach their full potential.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 3302. Analyzing and Changing Behavior. 3 Credit Hours.

This is an undergraduate level foundation course in using the science of Applied Behavior Analysis to change behavior for the better of society. The course will cover basic principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and methods for implementing principles to produce socially significant behavior. Some of the principles reviewed are positive and negative reinforcement, extinction, motivating operations, punishment, discrimination, and stimulus control. Additionally, this course will review procedures and techniques used to change behavior. Examples of procedures and techniques that will be covered are prompting, fading, shaping, chaining, reinforcement schedules, time out, response cost, behavioral contracts, and token economy. Following the course you will have an understanding, using the science of Applied Behavior Analysis, about how to analyze and change behavior.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Undergraduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 3303. Evaluating Behavior Change Intervention. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides an overview of strategies for measuring and evaluating changes in behavior. Many fields, including applied behavior analysis, implement interventions to change a person's behavior and then seek to determine if those interventions are effective. The purpose of the course is to teach the skills involved in measuring a behavior that has been targeted for an intervention and utilizing specific analytic skills to evaluate whether that intervention was effective. Competencies include selection of dependent variables for measurement, measurement tactics, single case research design, etc. In addition to learning how to collect and analyze data, students will learn to analyze the validity of existing data and research already conducted. The methods discussed are not specific to any handicapping condition or age level; rather, they are a general set of methods for conducting and interpreting single-subject data analysis.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Undergraduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 3304. Ethics and Applied Behavior Analysis. 3 Credit Hours.

During this course, we will explore the issue of ethics in Applied Behavior Analysis by engaging in various activities including: case study discussions, role plays, functional analyses of unethical behavior, and article presentations. Some in-class activities will require preparation prior to arriving to class. This course satisfies 45 hours of the content in BACB Compliance Code and Disciplinary Standards in a freestanding course required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). This course addresses specific guidelines for responsible conduct according to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board: http://bacb.com/ethics-code/.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Undergraduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 5302. Effective Teaching Strategies and Academic Interventions. 3 Credit Hours.

This course overviews assessment and intervention strategies for learners with skill deficits. Learners with a diverse set of needs will be discussed in the course (e.g., neurotypical, autism, intellectual disability, emotional and behavioral disturbance, among others). The link between assessment and intervention will be emphasized throughout the course, with attention to effective practices for learners with diverse needs. Students enrolled in the course will learn how to select, administer, score, interpret, and report results for a variety of behavioral assessment methods that will be related to selecting interventions, monitoring student progress, and making decisions based upon data.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Student Attribute Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Student Attributes: Clearance for Education.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 5303. Ethical and Legal Issues. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to introduce students to the ethical codes relevant to their discipline for students studying ABA (Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional and Ethical Compliance Code), School Psychology (American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct; National Association of School Psychologists Principles for Professional Ethics), and Counseling (American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct; American Counseling Association Code of Ethics). Students will explore common ethical and legal issues such as boundaries of competence, multiple relationships, confidentiality, research, client/student rights, effective treatment, etc. Students will begin to develop a professional decision making framework for resolving ethical conflicts around such issues. Students will also become conversant with current legislation and regulations relevant to their practice.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 5304. Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides the student with an introduction to the concepts and principles of behavior analysis. Core concepts including motivation, reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and rule governed and verbal behavior will be covered, along with examples of behavior change techniques that employ these concepts.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 5305. Single Subject Research Design. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides an overview of strategies for designing and conducting single-subject research in special education. Competencies include selection of independent and dependent variables for research, measurement tactics, research design, establishing generality of results, and ensuring the integrity of research procedures. The methods discussed are not specific to any disability or age level; rather, they are a general set of methods for conducting and interpreting single-subject research.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 5306. Organizational Behavior Management - OBM. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is an introduction to Organizational Behavior Management, a rapidly growing field that applies the principles, methods, and empirical generalizations of Behavior Analysis to improving human performance in organizations. Working from a theoretical basis, students will learn how to diagnose performance discrepancies in organizational settings, design and evaluate appropriate behavior-based solutions.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 5307. Experimental Analysis of Behavior - EAB. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will review basic research (animal research and human operant research) in learning and behavior analysis. Students will become familiar with the basic principles of learning and behavior analysis by reading and discussing original laboratory research that lead to basic learning theories.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 5676. Applied Behavior Analysis. 3 Credit Hours.

Introduction to the functional analysis of behavior of children in the school setting. Includes behavior theory, assessment, interaction, and evaluation. A behavior-change program is conducted.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 8787. Seminar on Verbal Behavior. 3 Credit Hours.

Advanced course in applied behavior analysis with an emphasis on verbal behavior. Designed to provide students with an overview of verbal behavior (as defined in the field of applied behavior analysis) and an overview of its practical application in teaching language to children with diagnosed language delays.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

ABA 9387. Practicum in Applied Behavior Analysis. 3 to 9 Credit Hours.

This course is one of two required 150-hour practica within the ABA Program (6 course credits total). The goals of the practica are to: 1) Broaden your range of competencies in the field of ABA in real-life settings under the tutelage of seasoned ABA clinical or research supervisors. The range of competencies upon which you will be evaluated by your site supervisor (not this instructor) can be found at the online ABA Practicum Evaluation link: https://education.temple.edu/aba/practicum-student-evaluation; 2) Use practical experience to develop 3 research questions for possible exploration for your Master's Research Project, submitted through Canvas; 3) Develop ABA written presentation skills through a case presentation, submitted through Canvas; 4) Complete short discussion board assignments; 5) Build networks for future employment in our field. To this end students are encouraged to complete their practica in settings other than those in which they are presently employed. Students petitioning for an exception should first consult their advisor to provide a rationale for the exception, complete the exception form located in the master's program handbook, and then provide a plan to ensure that the practica experiences will be distinguished from their compensated duties.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

ABA 9991. Applied Research Experience. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to aid students in the M.S.Ed. in Applied Behavior Analysis and other similar research-oriented programs to complete an applied research project. Students will select a research project and participate in supervised research activities including some or all of the following: developing a research question, conducting a literature review, designing a research study, conducting research sessions, developing and/or following a research protocol, collecting and/or analyzing data, reporting research results.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.