Therapist Unlimited Blog

 

 

The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABA International) is a nonprofit professional membership organization with the mission to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of the science of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice.

 

Since 1974, the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABA International) has been the primary professional organization for members interested in the philosophy, science, application, and teaching of behavior analysis.
ABA International provides many services to its membership and the field, including:

    * Events that promote dissemination of the science and provide continuing education opportunities for practitioners;
    * Job placement services that facilitate employment for behavior analysts;
    * Journals that provide a forum to disseminate relevant information and research results;
    * Support of the dissemination of behavior analysis in specific regions and for special interests; and
    * Resources available for purchase on the ABA International on-line store.

 

 

 

ABAI is the leading international association dedicated to developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice. Join more than 5,000 of your peers in the organization that provides a forum for global education and exchange of ideas among professionals in behavior analysis. Use the links across the top to learn more and apply for membership with ABAI.

 

 

 

As an ABAI member you’ll benefit from:

 

    * New and insightful information in ABAI’s publications – our flagship journal, The Behavior Analyst*, and the membership newsletter, Inside Behavior Analysis
    * Reduced registration fees for the annual convention and specialized meetings
    * Involvement opportunities in ABAI’s committee work and Special Interest Groups
    * A network of peers with whom to share challenges and solutions
    * 24/7 access to ABAI’s on-line Membership Directory
    * Representation for the interests of behavior analysts in government policy making
    * Opportunities to support the involvement of students in behavior analysis
 

 

Get an up close and personal look to the organization by visiting its official website http://www.abainternational.org.

 

 

 

To make sure the public will have a competent psychologist that will serve them, the American Board of Professional Psychology is here to offer selfless service to all.
The American Board of Professional Psychology issues board certification (awarding of a Diploma in a specialty) that assures the public that specialists designated by the ABPP have successfully completed the educational, training, and experience requirements of the specialty, including an examination designed to assess the competencies required to provide quality services in that specialty.
The American Board of Professional Psychology was incorporated in 1947 with the support of the American Psychological Association.

The ABPP is a unitary governing body of separately incorporated specialty examining boards which assures the establishment, implementation,and maintenance of specialty standards and examinations by its member boards. Through it’s Central Office, a wide range of administrative support services are provided to ABPP Boards, Board Certified Specialists, and the public.
A Specialty is a defined area in the practice of psychology that connotes special competency acquired through an organized sequence of formal education, training, and experience.  In order to qualify as a specialty affiliated with the ABPP, a specialty must be represented by an examining board which is stable, national in scope, and reflects the current development of the specialty. A specialty board is accepted for affiliation following an intensive self-study and a favorable review by the ABPP affirming that the standards for affiliation have been met. These standards include a thorough description of the area of practice and the pattern of competencies required therein as well as requirements for education, training, experience, research bases of the specialty, practice guidelines, and a demonstrated capacity to examine candidates for the specialty on a national level.
The mission of the American Board of Professional Psychology is to increase consumer protection through the examination and certification of psychologists who demonstrate competence in approved specialty areas in professional psychology.

 

To know more about the services offered by the group and other matters pertaining to the organization you can visit their website at http://www.abpp.org.

 

Based in Washington, DC, the American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States. With 150,000 members, APA is the largest association of psychologists worldwide.
The mission of the APA is to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people?s lives.

 

APA Vision Statement
 

 

The American Psychological Association aspires to excel as a valuable, effective and influential organization advancing psychology as a science, serving as:A uniting force for the discipline;The major catalyst for the stimulation, growth and dissemination of psychological science and practice;The primary resource for all psychologists;The premier innovator in the education, development, and training of psychological scientists, practitioners and educators.
The leading advocate for psychological knowledge and practice informing policy makers and the public to improve public policy and daily living.
A principal leader and global partner promoting psychological knowledge and methods to facilitate the resolution of personal, societal and global challenges in diverse, multicultural and international contexts.
An effective champion of the application of psychology to promote human rights, health, well being and dignity.
Psychologists and students need support in a variety of ways. So APA offers a wide range of services that benefit both individuals and the field of psychology.

APA provides direct services to its members through insurance programs, financial services, education loans and student loan consolidation, discounts on computers and electronics, electronic payment processing, career services and many additional discounts on a wide range of products and consumer goods and services.
And APA protects you and your field through advocacy programs, information resources, and many other ways it supports psychology.
APA also strives to bring psychologists of similar interests together through its divisions, state and provincial associations, regional associations, and Annual Convention.
APA offers membership categories to include the wide range of people who dedicate themselves to psychology.
Whether you’re a doctoral degree holder, a psychology student, or a psychology teacher, you’ll find a membership category that’s right for you.
Doctoral degree holders can qualify for the APA Member category. Or if you live outside the U.S. or Canada, you can become an International Affiliate.
If you’re a student, APA has many options for you. Graduate and undergraduate students in psychology can become Student Affiliates. And if you’re in high school, there is an affiliate program just for you.
Those with 2-years of graduate school training can also become a part of APA as an Associate.
And recognizing the importance of early training to the profession, APA has an affiliate program for both High School and Community College teachers of psychology.

Those who wish to know more about the American Psychological Organization you can visit their website at http://www.apa.org/.

 

 

 

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is a medical professional membership association representing the majority of child and adolescent psychiatrists in the United States.
Established in 1953, the AACAP is the leading national medical association dedicated to the advancement of medical contributions to the knowledge, diagnosis and treatment for the estimated 7—12 million American youth under 18 years of age who are affected by emotional, behavioral, developmental and mental disorders.
In addition to providing print resources to mental health professionals and the general public, the AACAP also works with government agencies and mental health groups to improve mental health care and influence public policy.
The Academy publishes the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry monthly.

Federal Advocacy
 

 

Despite treatment advances and better early identification, most youth with mental illnesses do not receive treatment. Some of the barriers to treatment include: a sever shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists, lack of adequate coverage of services within health care systems, lack of research funding, lack of community mental health services. The AACAP has a legislative agenda to help eliminate these barriers.

 

Member Benefits
 

 

The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry by far the most prestigious in its field, the monthly Journal is a primary source for the latest research and studies in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Members also have access to the complete Journal online archive as well as articles published online ahead of print.
 

 

To learn more about the organization you can visit their official website at http://www.aacap.org/.

 

 

It is time to cheer up for parents of preterm infants.
A recent medical study has shown that preterm infants who receive leg movement training display feet-reaching behaviors similar to that of full-term infants, according to a randomized controlled trial.
This finding supports feet-reaching play as an early intervention strategy to encourage interaction with physical objects in preterm infants who have movement problems within the first months of postnatal life.
Previous studies have shown that full-term infants make contact with toys using their feet before reaching with their hands. Studies also have shown that movement training advances feet reaching in full-term infants. Certain populations of preterm infants are known to be delayed in hand reaching; however, no studies have looked at feet-reaching in preterm infants.
"The presence of feet reaching and a positive training effect in this population would suggest a novel and easily implemented intervention strategy to encourage early object interaction in infants with special needs," said Jill C. Heathcock, PT, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Physical Therapy at Ohio State University, and lead author of the study.
In this study, 27 preterm infants who were born at less than 33 weeks of gestational age and weighed less than 5 lbs 8 oz received either movement training or social training by their caregivers 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Movement training consisted of three feet games: general leg movement, moving the leg across the midline of the body, and distinct leg movements, such as holding an infant’s hip at 90 degrees and encouraging knee motion to contact the toy with the foot. Caregivers of infants in the social training group positioned their infant supine on the floor and sat near the infant’s feet. The caregiver interacted with their infant visually and verbally, but did not touch or present objects to their infant.

During the 8-week training period, all infants were tested and videotaped for a total of five sessions. Infants were seated in a custom-made chair with a strap placed around the chest, allowing for free movement of the arms and legs. A toy was presented to the infant at his or her midline at hip height for 30 seconds. After each trial, the toy was removed from the infant’s view and then repositioned in the midline for the next trial.
Both groups of infants showed an equal number of foot-toy contacts over each session. However, infants in the movement training group out-performed infants in the social training group over time and during the last session.
"Our results suggest that preterm infants display a new and potentially important ability to contact objects with their feet before their hands," said Heathcock. "This finding, coupled with a positive effect of training, provides clinicians with a new intervention strategy for encouraging object interaction within the first months of life in infants at risk for long-term motor impairments."
 

 

 

Who says drinking too much coffee is bad for the health?
A recent medical study has shown that patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drink three or more cups of coffee per day have a 53% lower risk of liver disease progression than non-coffee drinkers.
Based on the research made by Neal Freedman, Ph.D., MPH, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) it was discovered that that patients with hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis who did not respond to standard disease treatment benefited from increased coffee intake.
Freedman explained an effect on liver disease was not observed in patients who drank black or green tea.
It is said that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects approximately 2.2% of the world’s population with more than 3 million Americans infected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites HCV as the leading cause of liver transplantation in the U.S. and accounts for 8,000 to 10,000 deaths in the country annually. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 3 to 4 million persons contract HCV each year with 70% becoming chronic cases that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.
This study included 766 participants enrolled in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) trial who had hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis and failed to respond to standard treatment of the anti-viral drugs peginterferon and ribavirin.

 

 

 

It is time to drink coffee for chronic hepatitis C patients.

 

 

 

At the onset of the study, HALT-C patients were asked to report their typical frequency of coffee intake and portion size over the past year, using 9 frequency categories ranging from ‘never’ to ‘every day’ and 4 categories of portion size (1 cup, 2 cups, 3-4 cups, and 5+ cups). A similar question was asked for black and green tea intake. "This study is the first to address the association between liver disease progression related to hepatitis C and coffee intake," stated Freedman.
Participants were seen every 3 months during the 3.8-year study period to assess clinical outcomes which included: ascites (abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen), prognosis of chronic liver disease, death related to liver disease, hepatic encephalopathy (brain and nervous system damage), hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, variceal hemorrhage, or increase in fibrosis. Liver biopsies were also taken at 1.5 and 3.5 five years to determine the progression of liver disease.
Results showed that participants who drank 3 or more cups of coffee per day had a relative risk of .47 for reaching one of the clinical outcomes. Researchers did not observe any association between tea intake and liver disease progression, though tea consumption was low in the study. "Given the large number of people affected by HCV it is important to identify modifiable risk factors associated with the progression of liver disease," said Freedman. "Although we cannot rule out a possible role for other factors that go along with drinking coffee, results from our study suggest that patients with high coffee intake had a lower risk of disease progression."

 

 

 

 

 

It is time to cheer up for colon cancer patients around the world.
Immunology experts in the US and China have discovered human stem cells that "fool" the immune system may provide a vaccination for colon cancer.
The study was led by Dr. Bei Liu and Dr. Zihai Li in collaboration with stem cell expert Dr. Renhe Xu at the University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute and is to be published in the journal Stem Cells.
The study builds on an old notion that immunizing with embryonic materials might produce anti-tumor responses, but this has only been shown in animal studies.
However, this new groundbreaking study showed for the first time that that human embryonic stem (hES) cells injected into mice produced a consistent immune response against colon cancer cells, opening a new door for cancer vaccine research.
Long before embryonic stem cells were used for genetic and developmental studies, scientists understood that they shared similar properties with cancer cells, especially in the way they form and replicate.
Immune systems recognize antigens like proteins on the surface of tumor cells that can trigger an immune response to make antibodies to fight the tumor.

 

 

Stem cells could soon provide vaccine to fight colon cancer among humans.

 

 

However, most of the current research on cancer vaccines target these antigens, while this study takes a different approach: what if you used stem cells into fooling the host immune system into thinking there was cancer present and trigger a tumor fighting response that way? That would open a new route to using stem cells to make a universal cell-based vaccine against cancer.
For the study the researchers vaccinated laboratory mice with human embryonic stem (hES) cells and saw a dramatic decline in tumor growth in the immunized mice.
This showed that immunized mice could generate a strong anti-tumour response through the application of hES cells.
The researchers also found that while natural hES cells triggered a strong anti-tumour response, artificially induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) did not.
This is a significant discovery because it challenges the idea recently put forward in a number of studies that iPSC have the potential to replace hES cells at the forefront of stem cell research.
Liu said:"Although we have only tested the protection against colon cancer, we believe that stem cells might be useful for generating an immune response against a broad spectrum of cancers, thus serving as a universal cancer vaccine."

 

MEDICAL researchers has recently discovered that having their own pets at home or work offers huge health rewards to humans.
According to the study, having a four-legged, furry pet can lower blood pressure, encourages exercise, and improves psychological health.
Researchers from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) conducted the recent study to gather new evidence on the positive impact pets have in the lives of humans.
Rebecca Johnson, associate professor in the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, the College of Veterinary Medicine and director of ReCHAI explained pets are of great importance to people, especially during hard economic times.
Johnson said pets provide unconditional love and acceptance and may be part of answers to societal problems, such as inactivity and obesity.

 

 

Having pets is beneficial to humans.

 

ReCHAI sponsors several projects that attempt to further the understanding and value of the relationship between humans and animals. In 2008, ReCHAI sponsored the "Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound and Stay Fit for Seniors." In the preliminary program, a group of older adults were matched with shelter dogs, while another group of older adults were partnered with a human walk buddy.
For 12 weeks, participants were encouraged to walk on an outdoor trail for one hour, five times a week. At the end of the program, researchers measured how much the older adults’ activity levels improved.
She revealed the older people who walked their dogs improved their walking capabilities by 28 percent.
She added they also had more confidence walking on the trail, and they increased their speed.
Johnson said the older people who walked with humans only had a 4 percent increase in their walking capabilities since human walking buddies tended to discourage each other and used excuses such as the weather being too hot.
Moreover,  Charlotte McKenney, assistant director of ReCHAI revealed today, pets are in more than 60 percent of American homes.
McKenney said research involving human-animal interaction can be extremely beneficial.
She said more people are incorporating pets into their leisure time, such as making them part of their exercise routines, taking them to dog parks and bringing them to family events.

 

 

 

Smokers who wish to undergo a medical surgery needs to stop their smoking habits now.
This developed after a recent research has shown that people who start nicotine replacement therapy at least four weeks before surgery can halve their risk of poor wound healing.
Based on the study made by German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) they found out that quitting smoking in times of stress is not easy.
Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute’s Director revealed quitting from smoke is not easy before operation but those who smoke re more likely to have complications after surgery than people who do not smoke.
At the moment, IQWiG has now analysed current research results that show that nicotine replacement therapy can help people quit smoking and avoid complications after surgery.

 

 

 

It is time to stop smoking to those smokers who wish to undergo surgery.

 

 

The researchers said nicotine replacement therapy helps reduce withdrawal symptoms when people stop smoking by giving them nicotine through a patch or chewing gum.
The researchers revealed trials showed that only 14 percent of the patients who smoked had problems with wound healing if they had nicotine replacement therapy at least four weeks before surgery, compared to 28 percent of the patients who did not have nicotine replacement therapy.
The research team added poor wound healing is one of the most common complications after surgery.
Moreover, Sawicki said lack of oxygen can cause poor wound healing.
Sawicki said anaesthetics and surgery put a strain on the body’s oxygen supply as it is.
He said smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that is available in the blood even more, making it more difficult for wounds to heal a process which requires oxygen.