Student Achievements for Students in ABA Programs

Course Statistics

Our Board Certified Behavior Analyst exam pass rates were 83% in 2015, 80% in 2014.

Also, 35% of our current students receive some form of funding for clinical or research activities.

Student Accomplishments:

Publications (current or former students are in bold)

• Nastasi, J.A., Shepphard, R.D., Raiff, B.R. (2020). Token-Economy-Based Contingency Management Increases Daily Steps in Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Behavioral Interventions, 35, 315-324. DOI: 10.1002/bin.1711
• Burrows, C., Dallery, J., Kim, S.J., & Raiff, B.R. (2020). Validity of a Functional Assessment for Smoking Treatment Recommendations Questionnaire. Psychological Record, 70, 215-226. DOI: https://doi-org.ezproxy.rowan.edu/10.1007/s40732-020-00375-5
  **This article was featured by ABAI as the “Article of the week, both in August AND in October**

Awards (these are all awards to doctoral students)

• Dwyer, M. & Raiff, B.R. (2020). New Jersey Psychological Association ($2000) for dissertation project titled, “Evaluation of App-Based Behavioral Activation for Co Occurring Depression and Drinking to Cope During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
• Upton, C. & Raiff, B.R. (2020). Poster award winner for “A Behavioral Analysis of Performative Activism” from the Association for Behavior Analysis, International at the Culturo-Behavior Science conference. ($1000 to donate to charity of her choice)
• Salvatore, G. L., & Simmons, C. A. (2020-present). Organization for Autism Research, Graduate Research Grant Program, $1,000. Destructive behavior and restraint use in hospital settings for patients with autism spectrum disorder. Role: Mentor

Talks (current or former students are in bold):

• Ford, K. R. & Simmons, C. A. (2020, May). Comparison of instructional methods when teaching chained tasks.Symposium paper presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention. Virtual conference.
• Leung-VanHassel, H., Simmons, C. A., & Sethi, R (2020, May). An evaluation of the accuracy of caregiver identification of demands for children with escape-maintained problem behavior. Symposium paper presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention. Virtual conference.
• Salvatore, G. L., Simmons, C. A. & Ford, K. R., (2020, May). Efficiency and preference for alternative activities during schedule thinning with functional communication training. Symposium paper presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention; Virtual conference.
• Somervell, S. U., & Simmons, C. A. (2020, May). Validity of a caregiver and child attention preference assessment using a concurrent operants arrangement. Symposium paper presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention; Virtual conference.
• Dwyer, M., Burrows, C., Raiff, B.R. (May, 2020). Examining the Utility of a Functional Purchase Task to Measure Motives for Non-Medical Prescription Stimulant Use. Annual Convention for the Association for Behavior Analysis, International. Washington, D.C.
• Burrows, C., Dwyer, M., Raiff, B.R. (May, 2020). Validity of a Behavioral Economic Measure of Physical Activity. Annual Convention for the Association for Behavior Analysis, International. Washington, D.C.

Poster Presentations (current or former students are in bold):

• Upton, C., Raiff, B.R. (November, 2020). Video Game Genre Preference Data of Smokers Interested in Gamified Smoking Cessation Treatments. Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) annual conference (online).
• Dwyer, M., Newman, S., Sun, A., Donisi, N., Salzman, M., Raiff, B.R. (November, 2020). A Contingency Management Program to Increase Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use in an Emergency Department Sample.  Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) annual conference (online).
• Upton, C., Raiff, B.R. (October, 2020). A Behavioral Analysis of Performative Activism. Cultro-Behavior Science Conference by the Association for Behavior Analysis, International (online).
• Cardenas, M., Raiff, B.R. (August, 2020). Feasibility and Acceptability of Inspired, a Videogame-based Contingency Management Intervention. Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C (online)
• Ford, K. R. & Simmons, C. A. (2020, September). Comparison of instructional methods with and without physical guidance when teaching chained tasks. Poster presented at the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis. Virtual Conference.
• Somervell, S. U., Simmons, C. A. (2020, September). Validity of a caregiver and child attention preference assessment using a concurrent operants arrangement. Poster presented at the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis. Virtual Conference.
• Leach, P.,, Salvatore, G. L, Somervell, S. U., & Simmons, C. A. (2020, May). An evaluation of visual schedules to treat vocal stereotypy. Poster presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention. Virtual conference.
• Somervell, S. U., Simmons, C. A., & Ford, K. R. (2020, February). Validity of a caregiver and child attention preference assessment using a concurrent operants arrangement. Poster presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Autism Conference. Miami, FL.
• Sethi, R., Simmons, C. A., Ford, K. R. (2020, February). An evaluation of the accuracy of caregiver identification of demands for children with escape-maintained problem behavior. Poster presented at the Association for Behavior Analysis International Autism Conference. Miami, FL.

Faculty Accomplishments:

Bethany Raiff

APPOINTMENTS

• President-elect for Division 25 of APA

GRANTS

• Two current grants awarded from Rowan University. Both of these grants involve student considerable student involvement and they both take place in Camden, NJ in collaboration with the Cooper University Hospital.  My recent presentations and publications are all captured above with the students’ accomplishments.
  • Contingency Management plus Suboxone to Treat Opioid Dependence: Behavioral and Neurological Predictors of Treatment Retention and Sustained Opioid Abstinence; Camden Health Research Initiative; Role: Principal Investigator; Amount: $150,000
  • A Novel Approach to Smoking Cessation in Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders; Camden Health Research Initiative; Role: Co-Investigator; Amount: $117,000
    
    

Christina Simmons

GRANTS & CONTRACTS

• Tremoulet, P. D., Lobo, A. F., & Simmons, C. A. (2020-present). New Jersey Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism & the NJ Department of Health, $396,606. Improving service for adults with autism through a digital assistant for direct support providers. Role: Co-Investigator.
• Simmons, C. A., & Eggerding, C. (2020-present). Camden Health Research Initiative, $117,847. Evaluation of aberrant behavior and restraint use in patients with autism spectrum disorder: Physician knowledge and training needs. Role: Principal Investigator
• Simmons, C. A. (2019-present). State of New Jersey Department of Children and Families contract in 2019. Contract Number: 18AKTR. Role: Principal Investigator/Director of Clinical Services

PUBLICATIONS:

• Scheithauer, M. C., Call, N. A., Simmons, C. A., Gillespie, S. E., Bourret, J., Lloveras, L. A., & Lanphear, J. E. (2020). Delay discounting by college undergraduates of hypothetical intervention effects for challenging behavior. The Psychological Record, 70, 65-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-019-00367-0

Michelle Soreth

GRANTS:

• Using SMART Adaptive Treatment Design to Evaluate Center-Based Discrete Trial Teaching and Verbal Behavior on Social and Verbal Communication in Preschool Children with Autism. Co-investigator, NJ ACE Pilot Grant ($398,050); Soreth (PI) 2019-2020; Soreth (Co-I)/Kerwin (PI) 2015-2019 07/01/15 - 02/29/20 ; The New Jersey Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism & the NJ Department of Health 

PRESENTATIONS:

• Soreth, M. & Kerwin, M. (September 2020). Comparing Skill Acquisition Outcomes of the Lovaas Model and the Verbal Behavior Model of Early Behavioral Intervention for Autism. Paper Presentation at the New Jersey Association for Behavior Analysis (NJABA) Conference (Virtual). 

--All of the BA faculty at Rowan, as well as 2 students, were interviewed by the podcast Operant Innovations and that episode is scheduled to be released around the week of Thanksgiving. If I get the link to this I can share it!