Alessandro Dibari is a psychologist, International Behavior Analyst® (IBA®), and Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®). He currently serves as Clinical Director of the “Casa dei Sogni” Day Center for Autism in Celano, Italy, managed by the Oltre le Parole Foundation. He also collaborates with the Foundation as a speaker in training courses for teachers, professionals, and parents, and has helped organize seminars and workshops featuring international speakers. His teaching experience includes lecturing in both national and international ABA Master’s programs. He has presented research at national and international conferences. His main interests include verbal behavior analysis and teaching functional skills to strengthen adaptive repertoires and reduce challenging behavior.

Presentation at the ABA International Conference 2027

Behavioral Skills Training (BST): From Scientific Literature to Clinical Practice in Educational Settings

Abstract:

Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is one of the most widely used procedures in Applied Behavior Analysis for teaching new skills in an effective, structured, and replicable way.

This presentation will provide a clear, practical overview of the four components of BST—instructions, modeling, role-play, and feedback—combining findings from the international research literature with clinical examples drawn from educational services.

Practical applications of BST will be presented in the teaching of:

• personal safety skills;
• assertive communication;
• social skills with peers;
• functional skills in natural settings.

Particular attention will be given to skill generalization, implementation fidelity, and adapting the procedure for autistic adolescents and adults.

The presentation aims to provide practitioners with tools they can apply in their own work settings, supporting data-based practice focused on the quality of life of the people they serve.

Angeliki Gena is a Professor at the School of Philosophy, Department of Educational Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece (EKPA). She received her BA in Psychology and Sociology, her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and her PhD from the “Learning Processes” program of the Psychology Department of the City University of New York.  She conducted her Doctoral Dissertation at the Princeton Child Development Institute, in Princeton, New Jersey.  She worked in various institutes in the USA and became the director of the Alpine Learning Group, in Alpine, New Jersey.  She also taught as an adjunct professor at the City University of New York.  In Greece she taught at various universities and has been elected a full professor since 2012 at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She is the director of the Laboratory of Special Education and Family Counselling. Her research is predominantly in the area of Behavior Analysis and its applications for early intervention in children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. She is a founding member and current president of the board of the Institute of Systemic Behavior Analysis. She has been invited in various universities as a visiting professor and has received an International Scholarship Award from the Onassis Foundation, USA to visit four American Universities for research and teaching purposes. She has numerous publications and invited presentations in conferences and universities across the world. She recently received an award in appreciation for “Exceptional Contribution to the University and to Society” by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Presentation at the ABA International Conference 2027

Rapport building as a therapeutic component that optimizes early intensive behavior-analytic intervention

Abstract:

The need to identify effective and efficient staff training practices for therapists working with children on the autism spectrum, who require early intensive behavioral intervention, is more prevalent than ever for several reasons, such as (a) the dramatic increase in the prevalence of autism, (b) the financial constraints that have substantially affected special education and therapeutic services, (c) the growing demand for therapists that are properly trained in behavior analysis and possess the skills necessary to meet the challenge of working with children with a highly heterogeneous phenotype and pervasive developmental difficulties characteristic of autism.

Developing proficiency in the science of behavior analysis which is grounded in a strong theoretical foundation and offers a broad range of technological applications that may be used for therapeutic and educational purposes, is a demanding and complex process. The ongoing discussions surrounding the training and certification of behavior analysts reflect the challenges involved in developing and maintaining professional competence. Beyond the procedures used to train practitioners, however, important questions have also been raised regarding the content of behavior-analytic training and, more specifically, the range of competencies that should be emphasized in the preparation of behavior-analytic practitioners. For example, it has already been pointed out that traditional technical behavior-analytic skills should be combined with compassionate care (Taylor, LeBlanc, & Nosik, 2019).

The purpose of this presentation is to raise questions and provide empirical evidence concerning the importance of continuously evaluating the content of behavior-analytic training and incorporating aspects of therapeutic or educational practice that have not traditionally been at the center of behavior-analytic research. Specifically, a series of studies will be presented that address the question of how we may operationally define rapport or the therapeutic relationship between children with ASD and their therapists and subsequently, how we may incorporate rapport building in the training of behavior analysts as a means of optimizing our therapeutic protocols.

In the initial study of this line of research, it was demonstrated that an empirically based definition of rapport is feasible and may provide a useful framework for improving the proficiency of therapists working with children with ASD. This study was followed by an observational investigation comparing more- and less-experienced therapists in terms of their rapport-building skills, including active empathy/compassion, therapist–child pairing, joint constructive engagement, etc.  The two groups of therapists showed systematic differences in these domains, with more-experienced therapists demonstrating stronger rapport-building skills. These differences were also reflected in the children’s affect, which was substantially more positive during interactions with the more-experienced therapists.

A subsequent pilot staff-training study provided preliminary evidence that these therapeutic-relationship skills can be taught through a Behavioral Skills Training (BST) framework incorporating instruction, role play, supervised practice, modeling, and feedback, with concurrent improvements in therapist–child interaction and child engagement.

The final study, which is currently underway, examines whether rapport, as defined in the aforementioned studies, contributes to the efficiency with which behavior-analytic practices are implemented and the efficacy of treatment.  Building on the findings of the pilot staff-training study, this investigation aims to further refine the training protocol and evaluate more efficient approaches to teaching rapport-building skills to therapists.

This emerging line of research on establishing rapport with children with ASD within the context of therapy is beginning to provide empirical answers into an important yet relatively underexplored dimension of behavior-analytic practice, and at the same time increases our awareness about the complexity of therapeutic processes.  Furthermore, it raises a number of additional empirical questions regarding the role of therapeutic relationships in intervention implementation and outcomes. Further research is therefore needed to clarify how rapport-building skills can best be incorporated into behavior-analytic training and to determine the extent to which these skills contribute to more effective and efficient interventions.

Flaviana Bianco is a Medical Doctor and Child and Adolescent Pediatric Neurologist, currently working as Medical Director of the day-care center and dedicated ambulatory for Autism at Fondazione Oltre le Parole in Pescara and Chieti, Italy. She holds a PhD in Developmental Neuroscience from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome and has extensive clinical experience in neurodevelopmental disorders, with a particular focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and neuromuscular diseases. Her professional approach integrates clinical neuropsychiatry, psychopharmacology and evidence-based behavioral interventions within a multidisciplinary framework aimed at improving functioning and Quality of Life. She completed advanced training in behavioral psychopharmacology for neurodevelopmental disorders and a postgraduate Master’s degree in Healthcare Management. She has served as lecturer in university and postgraduate courses and regularly participates in national scientific meetings on autism, neurodevelopmental disorders and disability. She is author and co-author of numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications in the fields of child neuropsychiatry and neuromuscular disorders.

Presentation at the ABA International Conference 2027

INTEGRATING PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS IN INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

A synergistic pathway toward better quality of life

Abstract:

Challenging behaviors in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) cannot be adequately understood—or treated—when they are reduced to isolated psychiatric symptoms. They may serve communicative, socio-environmental, or regulatory functions and may also represent expressions of physical or psychological distress. Diagnostic interpretation is further complicated by intellectual distortion, psychosocial masking, cognitive disorganization, and amplification of habitual behavior. Psychopharmacology should therefore not be conceived as an alternative to behavioral assessment, but as one component of an integrated, person-centered clinical pathway.

The presentation illustrates this approach through clinical cases in which systematic behavioral observation, functional and adaptive assessment, physiological measures, and longitudinal data collection were combined with carefully monitored pharmacological interventions. Outcomes were evaluated not only through changes in the frequency, duration, or intensity of target behaviors, but also through clinically meaningful indicators of functioning and quality of life. The cases show how changes in psychopharmacological treatment can be interpreted more accurately when they are embedded within continuous behavioral measurement and ecological observation.

Keywords: psychopharmacology; behavior analysis; intellectual disability; autism spectrum disorder; challenging behavior; functional assessment; quality of life; multidisciplinary care.

SELECTED REFERENCES

1. Wachtel LE, Hagopian LP. Psychopharmacology and applied behavioral analysis: tandem treatment of severe problem behaviors in intellectual disability and a case series. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2006;43(4):265-274. PMID: 17338446.
2. Newcomb ET, Hagopian LP. Treatment of severe problem behaviour in children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2018;30(1):96-109. doi:10.1080/09540261.2018.1435513.
3. Minshawi NF, Hurwitz S, Morriss D, McDougle CJ. Multidisciplinary assessment and treatment of self-injurious behavior in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: integration of psychological and biological theory and approach. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015;45(6):1541-1568. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2307-3.
4. McCracken JT, McGough J, Shah B, et al.; Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Autism Network. Risperidone in children with autism and serious behavioral problems. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(5):314-321. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa013171.
5. Ward F, Tharian P, Roy M, Deb S, Unwin GL. Efficacy of beta blockers in the management of problem behaviours in people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review. Res Dev Disabil. 2013;34(12):4293-4303. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.08.015.
6. London EB, Zimmerman-Bier BL, Yoo JH, Gaffney JW. High-dose propranolol for severe and chronic aggression in autism spectrum disorder: a pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2024;44(5):462-467. doi:10.1097/JCP.0000000000001895.
7. Craft M, Ismail IA, Krishnamurti D, et al. Lithium in the treatment of aggression in mentally handicapped patients: a double-blind trial. Br J Psychiatry. 1987;150:685-689. doi:10.1192/bjp.150.5.685.
8. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Challenging behaviour and learning disabilities: prevention and interventions for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges. NICE Guideline NG11. London: NICE; 2015.

Daniele Rizzi is a BCBA and a Psychologist, working as Clinical Director for “la Casa dei Sogni-Fondazione Oltre le Parole Onlus”, a semi-residential center for adolescents and adults with ASD and intellectual disabilities in Pescara, central Italy. He serves as program coordinator and lecturer for A.B.A. post-university courses (VCS) at Consorzio Universitario Humanitas in Rome, teaching classes in experimental designs among other topics. He is involved as lecturer in the advanced training courses in A.B.A. and Autism organized by the Italian NIH (Istituto Superiore di Sanità). His main focus is in developing interventions for adolescents and adults using strategies based on Applied Behavior Analysis integrating a Quality of Life model. He presented scientific researches and gave talks both nationally and internationally, included participations as keynote speaker for the ABAI conference and Penn State Conference. He is father of 2 wonderful little boys.

Presentation at the ABA International Conference 2027

Interventions to increase adherence to medical procedures in individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities

Abstract:

Individuals with autism (ASD) and/or intellectual disabilities (ID) often show low level of adherence with medical procedures. Studies suggests that around one third of this population may show non-compliance during medical treatments (Gillis et al., 2009). Examples of medical procedure that may evoke problematic behavior can include, but are not limited to, taking medication (Raiff, Jarvis, & Dallery, 2016; Schiff, Tarbox, Lanagan, & Farag, 2011), MRI (Cox, Virues-Ortega, Julio, & Martin, 2017; Slifer, Koontz, & Cataldo, 2002), dental care (Szalwinski et al. 2019), blood drawn (Shabani & Fisher, 2006) etc. In presence of problematic behavior it may be necessary to opt for more intrusive procedures such as sedation (Lowe & Jedrychowski, 1987) or physical restraint (Klein & Norwak, 1999). Considering this scenario, it is of utmost importance to help people with ASD and ID to accept medical procedures, decreasing their indices of unhappiness and increasing acceptance during those situations. Some different interventions are used to address this concern, such as Differential Reinforcement, Stimulus Fading, Systematic Desensitization, Graduate Exposure etc. Some of those treatments may include an extinction component that, even if proved to be effective, may not be feasible or safe to implement during medical treatment. During this talk published studies and procedures related to increase adherence with medical interventions will be reviewed, with a focus on procedures that do not include an extinction component. Clinical examples and videos of the application of some of these procedures will be discussed as well.

Christoph Bördlein obtained his PhD in psychology from the University of Bamberg in 2001. He worked as an executive psychologist in a rehabilitation facility for blind and visually impaired adults and as the head of the Department of Occupational Health Management at the Federal Board of Auditors in Germany. Concurrently, he provided organizational consultation in the field of behavior-based safety for various businesses and industries. Currently, he is a professor at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS), teaching classes in behavior analysis, research methods, and clinical psychology. He is the director of a training course for specialists in behavior-based safety. He authored books and articles on critical thinking, introductory textbooks on applied behavior analysis and research methods, and the only textbook on behavior-based safety in German. Christoph Bördlein’s interests are in the areas of behavioral safety, behavioral community interventions, and behavior analysis in sports, fitness, and health.

Presentation at the ABA International Conference 2027

Behavior-Based Safety as a Community and Systems-Level Application

Abstract:

Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) applies principles of behavior analysis to the prevention of behavior-related accidents in organizational settings. It is widely regarded as the most effective evidence-based approach for reducing occupational injuries by focusing on observable behavior and its controlling contingencies. This talk outlines the core logic of BBS and illustrates how behavior-analytic methods such as observation, feedback, and consequence-based interventions can be successfully implemented at community and systems levels to achieve sustained behavior change.