In April, members of our Behavioural Department attended The Psychological Society of Ireland's Division of Behaviour Analysis (DBA) 16th Annual Conference in Athlone.
The DBA in Ireland promotes the development of Behaviour Analysis as a legitimate body of psychological knowledge and as a professional field of psychological activity. The DBA conference's audience is behaviour analysts who work in various fields, in both applied and research settings, across Ireland and sometimes internationally. This includes professionals working in universities and colleges, disability services, educational settings, and private practice.
The conference's purpose is to encourage scientific research in Behaviour Analysis and the dissemination of existing knowledge in the field. The DBA promotes and maintains high ethical and professional standards among behaviour analysts and aims to develop public awareness of the nature, aims, and practical applications of behaviour analysis.
Poster presentations on research carried out were presented to the audience on the first day of the conference by three members of Nua's behaviour team on:
The use of choice and functional communication training to reduce self-injury in an individual in a residential care setting by Nua's Behavioural Specialist, Rachel Brownlow, received first place in a poster presentation at the event.
The use of alternative reinforcement and demand fading without extinction to promote activity engagement by Nua's Behavioural Specialist, Emma Good.
The effects of response interruption and redirection to replacement behaviour on the frequency of risk for individuals with ASD by Nua's Behavioural Specialist, Bébhinn O’Shea.
The presentations were very well received by the audience, with many eager to ask questions on the applications of behaviour analysis in applied residential settings - an important area to further disseminate research in.
On day 2 of the conference, Senior Behaviour Specialists Katie Smyth and Tara O’Rourke delivered a presentation on Social Skills Training for Adolescents in Residential Care.
Well done to the members of our Behavioural Department on the dissemination of their work. The team did a fantastic job representing Nua in their presentations and were all highly commended by colleagues and the DBA audience.
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