Scholarly publications

Includes peer reviewed journals within and adjacent to behavior analysis

(Starred journals available to BCBAs through the BACB portal)

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis *
8/23 Mitteer, D. R., Fisher, W. W., Greer, B. D., & Helvey, C. I. (2026). Relative effects of four resurgence-mitigation strategies informed by behavioral momentum theory. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 59(4), e70083. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70083
(Open access) The authors tested 4 conditions on resurgence of severe destructive behavior: "(a) lean reinforcement rates for target behavior during baseline, (b) lean reinforcement rates for alternative behavior during treatment, (c) a longer treatment duration, and (d) a combined approach including all three refinements," with the most effective conditions being lean reinforcement for target behavior during baseline and the combined condition 

8/28 Burlison, S., Brand, D., Wittman, M. R., Bensemann, J., McKeown, C. A., Miguel, C. F., & Moo, H. N. (2026). A parametric analysis of varying levels of consequence-based procedural fidelity errors when learning new tasks. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 59(4), e70084. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70084
In a translational study, 6 human subjects learned and conducted a new task. When fidelity errors were introduced into teaching, learning was delayed for 5/6 subjects; when fidelity was 100%, all subjects eventually learned the skill 

Clay, C. J., Gushchyan, A., Budde, J. R., Braga-Kenyon, P., & Schenkkan, P. W. (2026). Assessing the feasibility of automated virtual reality training of functional analysis procedures for preservice clinicians. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 59(4), e70082. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70082
6 participants engaged in VR training to conduct FAs. 2/6 learned the skill from VR alone, while 4/6 required brief feedback to reach mastery. A fidelity checklist is available in the supplemental info 

Behavior Analysis in Practice
8/24 Cassidy, K., Schnell-Peskin, L.K., Kisamore, A.N. et al. Training Behavioral Interns to Implement and Use Social Validity Assessments of Goals, Outcomes, and Procedures with Compassionate Care. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01223-8
The authors used BST to train 11 compassionate care behaviors (here) with 3 interns, then the interns engaged in a role play with a mock intervention where they solicited feedback from parents. The skills increased, maintained, and generalized; the subjects rated the intervention as acceptable 

8/28 Harman, M.A., Harman, M.J. & McKie, S. Teaching Autistic Children to Cooperate with a Comprehensive Mock Physical Exam. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01226-5
6 subjects were given a mock-physical exam with non-contingent escape and temporary termination of tasks contingent on problem behavior. All 6 acquired the skills needed to tolerate an exam (a task analysis is in the supplemental materials) 

Kittrell, I.R., MacDonald, J.M., Slaton, J. et al. Using Behavior Skills Training to Teach Tacting Self-identities and Asking Open Ended Questions to Improve Cultural Responsiveness in Graduate Students. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01224-7
The authors used BST to teach 2 skills to 4 grad students so that practitioners can tact their own identity in order to identify potential power imbalances before starting with a client. They acquired each skill in 2-4 sessions using online modules, in-person training, role play, and feedback. 3/4 maintained each skill; more information on the skills in the supplemental info 

Tamrazi, S., Croghan, L.E., Li, A. et al. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior Citations in Behavior Analysis in Practice. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01220-x
From the start of BAIP to 2024, an average of 2.0% of citations per year were from JEAB, with a range of 0%-7.5%. "The most-cited articles dealt with functional communication training, research rankings of graduate programs, functional assessment, interdisciplinary relations, and evidence-based staff training." 

McCammon, M.N., Wolfe, K. & Zaluski, K. Correction: POWER: A Caregiver Implemented Mand Training Intervention. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01208-7
Finally, an interesting correction: the authors admit mischaracterizing one source (someone must have gotten an angry email?) 

Behavioral Interventions *
8/24 Cox, Alison D., Marie-Chanel M. Morgan, and Hannah MacNaul. 2026. “ Preliminary Development and Evaluation of a Severity Classification Tool Informed by Objective Indicators of Challenging Behavior,” Behavioral Interventions: e70134. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70134
(Open access) The authors developed a tool to classify severe behavior; seven BCBAs used the tool on hypothetical scenarios. The BCBAs who used the tool increased agreement slightly on whether behavior was severe or not 

8/27 Ahmad, Adnan, Hafiz T. Jameel, and John T. Rapp. 2026. “ Indirectly Decreasing Motor Stereotypy in Children With Autism via Increasing Motor Activities,” Behavioral Interventions: e70140. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70140
5 Pakistani children were taught with instruction, modeling, prompting, and reinforcement to engage in activities in school for 30-45 minutes each day for 12 weeks. Their motor stereotypy rate was halved 

8/28 Petursson, Petur I., Sigmund Eldevik, and Svein Eikeseth. 2026. “ Increasing Eating Rate in a Young Adult With a Developmental Disorder,” Behavioral Interventions: e70141. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70141
(Open access) To increase the rate of eating in an adolescent subject, the authors utilized a DRH and token economy, which was effective and maintained at 2- and 5-month follow-ups 

Ford, Kimberly R., and Catia Cividini-Motta. 2026. “ A Survey of Clinical Practices for Prompt Dependency,” Behavioral Interventions: e70130. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70130
In a survey, practitioners reveal that they do not assess or use published literature to treat "prompt dependency" (though the authors admit little research exists), and typically treat it with differential reinforcement 

Behavior Modification *
8/24 Kunze, M., Dueñas, A. D., Miranda, M., Muñoz Lavanderos, A., & Orendain Soto, C. (2026). Culturally Responsive Adaptations: A Virtual Caregiver-mediated Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Families and Children with Autism. Behavior Modification, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455261473252
The authors adapted a parent-mediated naturalistic behavioral developmental intervention into Spanish, and found that it was effective for 4 families 

8/28 Hansen, B. A., Demchuk, N. C., Frye, I. V., Ibarra, A., Vo, T., Kozisek, J. M., Shriver, D. M., & Drayton, A. K. (2026). Evaluating Variations of Feeder Attention in Mitigating the Side Effects of Escape Extinction. Behavior Modification, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455261474797
The most common intervention for feeding problems is escape extinction, but this study instead manipulated schedules of attention on 6 children. They found that all conditions (DRA with attention, noncontingent attention, and attention extinction) resulted in more bites and more new foods consumed, implying that this could be a more socially acceptable avenue for treatment 

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
8/28 Justice, L.M., Pelfrey, G.L., Jiang, H. et al. Peer Talk in the Preschool Classroom: Are the Experiences of Children With Language Difficulties Distinctive?. J Autism Dev Disord (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07436-8
(Open access) The authors used sensors to collect data in 29 preschool classrooms. They found that teachers talked to kids approximately the same amount whether or not the kids had speech difficulties. However, kids with speech difficulties talked to peers less, and the peers talked to them less 

European Journal of Behavior Analysis
8/24 Angeli, B., Baroni, V., Borgonovo, F., & Keohane, D. D. (2026). Conditioning voices through stimulus–stimulus pairing with video in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2026.2718018
Conditioning adult voices to be reinforcers sometimes starts with pairing adult voices with edible reinforcers; the authors paired preferred videos with adult voices and faded the videos. This procedure resulted in increased observing responses to voice alone, as well as preference for selecting recorded voices

Book publications

Textbooks, handbooks, manuals, or mass-market

Upcoming:
An Ethics-Focused Guide for BCBA® Fieldwork: Shaping the Future, Solley & DePriest (Feb 2027)
Nonlinear Contingency Analysis: Going Beyond Cognition and Behavior in Clinical Practice, Layng, Andronis, Codd, Abdel-Jalil (Eds.) (Nov 2026)
Case Studies and Applications in Nonlinear Contingency Analysis, Abdel-Jalil & Linnehan (Eds.) (Oct 2026)
WAVE Prosocial Assessment and Curriculum, Rehfeldt & Dixon
AIM Navigators, Dixon (Pre-order)
Personal Narratives on the Behavior Analysis of Human Language and Cognition: Stories from Around the World, Harte et al. (Eds.)
Digital Technologies in Behavior Science: Theoretical and Practical Applications, Crone-Todd, Hantula, Layng (Eds.)
Promoting Language for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Verbal Behavior Guide for Practitioners, Vladescu & Kissamore (Eds.)
Navigating Ethics in Behavior Analysis: Dealing with Gray Areas, Carr

Recent:
2025
2024
2023

Podcasts

ABA Inside Track
(REBROADCAST) Episode 17 - (ETHICS) Ethics in Data Collection

All Things Behavior
Toward a Predictive Model of Success in Contingency Management: A Proof of Concept Study Utilizing Behavioral Economic, Clinical Severity, and Alcohol Use Severity Measures

Behavioral Observations
Safety, Dignity, and Clinical Judgement in Skills Based Treatment: Session 338 with Cory Whelan

Blogs

Generally these are produced by professionals

ABAI
The Most-Cited JABA Article in Every Year, 1968-2025: Reflections on Standing Still and Moving Forward
Tom Critchfield sniffs out some expired citations 

Welcome to the Cultural Evolution and Analysis Blog!
New blog when 

Pavlovian Conditioning in ABA: Not as Irrelevant as You Might Think
The authors summarize their (open access) paper from PoBS from February. Their perspective is that Pavlovian and operant conditioning are not entirely separate 

Licensing & professional organizations

ASAN
Community Calls on IACC to Review All Public Input Before Strategic Plan Vote

Business world

Autism services, behavioral health, etc.

Federal Panel Adopts Overhauled Autism Plan

The IACC recommends that the federal government put over $747.4 million toward autism annually, far more than the current allocation of $390.4 million.

Our comment was leaning towards: good. But we’ll let ASAN have the final word on the problems that aren’t as obvious

But what if the real problem is…unions?? A pro-industry publication has the courage to ask: are unions bad?

One M&A professional, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, maintains that investors and acquiring organizations “will run for the hills” when an autism therapy organization that has a union is presented to them.

No! No!!

Accidentally behavior analysis

A mainstream news article that relates to behavior analysis

Daycare pseudoscience, Works in Progress

The subhead, “If it had a clear effect on children we would know by now,” belies the banal equivocation that passes for “reasonable” among contrarians (see: maybe nicotine is fine; actually about 80% of The Atlantic is just kneejerk hot takes). “Daycare” as a category is like saying “if college had a clear effect on adults we would know it by now” – some colleges are high-quality, some are low-quality, and the lasting effects on individuals are surely different. But there’s plenty of evidence for high-quality education, and some impossibly sad evidence against not educating children. Is this actually a worthwhile “debate”?

Continuing education

UPCOMING:

BehaviorLive has free events: 9/1, 9/2, 9/3 (SUP), 9/11 (SUP), 9/14, 9/16, 9/24, 9/29, 9/30 (ETH)

Flashback

Behaviorists are from Mars, psychoanalysts are from Penus

In the January 1966 issue of The Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, David Bakan writes that the behavioral inclination of Watson is, beyond the zeitgeist of various other behaviorists, was being a rural boy moving into an urban professional life. Indeed, Watson writes of observing people as if he is from Mars.

Bakan continues: