Event Details

This presentation is suitable for both professionals and caregivers who would like to learn more about our biobehavioral approach to the assessment, treatment, and prevention of sleep-related problems. We will describe a collaborate model in which the client and family values, in particular the client’s safety and subjective experience, are incorporated in the selection of goals and in the design of treatment. Participants will be introduced to our comprehensive assessment process for gaining an insight on potential environmental variables (past and present) that affect behavioral quietude and any interfering behaviors that may impede one’s ability to fall asleep, will become familiar with our Sleep Assessment and Treatment Tool (SATT), and will learn about our five-component sleep treatment package. Participants are encouraged to complete the SATT and collect baseline data prior to taking this course, and to use the information from these assessments as guided by the presenter to design a treatment process for one of their own clients. Modifications for individual clients and considerations for value-based and performance-informed decision-making will be discussed.

Attendees will be able to:

1. Describe a bio-behavioral understanding of sleep and sleep-related problems.
2. Describe healthy sleep cycles, the different stages, and patterns of development, including typical sleep requirements, and characteristics of good sleep.
3. Describe a contingency analysis of falling asleep/behavioral quietude and identify potential contingencies that may be supporting sleep interfering behaviors (SLIBs)
4. Become familiar with the use of the Sleep Assessment and Treatment Tool (SATT) and a sleep graph to gain a better understanding of the unique sleep-related problems and potential environmental variables affecting a specific case
5. Describe the basic features of a sleep training plan for infants that may help prevent the development of sleep-related problems while maintaining parental responsiveness to the child’s needs.
6. Describe ways in which a sleep plan can be modified and adjusted for various age-groups (infants, young children, adolescents, older adults), family preferences, and cultural norms.
7. Design an effective treatment that incorporates client- and family-specific goals, needs, and cultural values.
8. Design a comprehensive treatment that includes:
   1. Using an appropriate amount and schedule of sleep to enhance treatment effects.
   2. Create a bedtime routine that addresses both the contingencies promoting behavioral quietude as well as any competing contingencies.
   3. Optimize the physical characteristics of the sleep environment to promote good sleep.
   4. Develop healthy sleep dependencies that promote and maintain sleep
   5. Address SLIBs using a socially acceptable procedure

Attendance in this presentation meets the requirements for 4 BACB CEUs.

About the Presenter

Dr. Mahshid Ghaemmaghami, BCBA-D

Dr. Ghaemmaghami’s work over the past 15 years has focused on ways to improve the overall effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of behavior analytic procedures in practice. As a board-certified behavior analyst, Dr. Ghaemmaghami has consulted to a range of professional organizations, schools, and families, in various jurisdictions and settings including general and special education classrooms, outpatient clinics, homes, residential, community, and vocational settings, on issues related to severe problem behavior, comprehensive curriculum design, sleep-related problem behavior, and selective eating.

Dr. Ghaemmaghami received a Master of Applied Disability Studies with an ABA specialization from Brock University, Canada, and a Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from Western New England University under the supervision of Dr. Hanley.  She subsequently served as an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Pacific, advising master’s level students in ABA, before joining FTF Behavioral Consulting as the Clinical Director and Senior Consultant.

Dr. Ghaemmaghami has published articles in peer-reviewed journals related to assessment and treatment of problem behavior and has presented at various national and international conferences on ways to design and enhance the effectiveness of behavior analytic assessment and treatment procedures. In particular, Dr. Ghaemmaghami’s research has focused on effective and acceptable ways to build a repertoire of tolerance for interruptions to reinforcement that rely on differential reinforcement of skills including appropriate and functional communication, toleration, and cooperation in complex social contexts.

Prior to starting her studies at Western New England, Dr. Ghaemmaghami was the Clinical Supervisor in charge of the implementation and evaluation of the Provincial Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Program for children with autism in Northern Ontario, Canada. This experience provided her with an appreciation for issues surrounding successful transition of treatment across settings and has inspired her interest in maximizing practicality, social acceptability, safety, and generality of treatment procedures and effects in order to enhance their real-life implementation and effectiveness.

Event Schedule

Friday, November 1, 2024

9 am – 1 pm Pacific Time

Cost, Discounts, & Bursaries

Early Bird Rate until June 27, 2024: $175

Regular rate starting June 28, 2024: $200

CEU Rate: $20 (i.e., 5 per Unit) for BCBAs = $195 (Early Bird Rate) and $220 (Regular Rate).

*Last day to register is October 28 at 11:59pm, 2024

Group Discounts

Registering 3 or more attendees at a time? Receive a 10% discount!

Friends of ACT Receive 10% Off

Join here to become a Friend of ACT. This FREE program keeps you up to date with all the latest events and resources from ACT, and provides a 10% discount on a single ticket for all events.

Bursaries

ACT is committed to ensuring equitable access to all our events. Bursaries are offered to mitigate financial barriers to registration. Full bursaries are specifically allocated for Indigenous individuals or those affiliated with organizations supporting Indigenous communities. We strongly encourage you to apply for bursaries promptly as funds are limited.

Apply by completing ACT’s Bursary Form by October 25, 2024. If you identify as Indigenous, or work for an Indigenous organization, complete our Bursary Form for Indigenous Communities.

Donate to our bursary fund.

Please note that ACT cannot offer a bursary for the CEUs because they are provided by BC-ABA.

Autism Funding

If you intend to utilize your child’s Autism Funding to cover your registration fees, ACT can directly invoice the Autism Funding Branch on your behalf. However, if you’re paying upfront with the intention of seeking reimbursement, it’s imperative to obtain prior approval from the Autism Funding Branch.

For information on how to register with your Autism Funding, visit Workshop Registration Using Autism Funding.