James T Todd

Much of my recent work involves the analysis of ineffective and pseudoscientific interventions for autism and other developmental disabilities, especially “facilitated communication” and “rapid prompting.” I have served as an expert for the Defense in cases involving false accusations of abuse arising from these methods. Most recently I was an expert witness for the Prosecution in the Stubblefield assault case in New Jersey discussing the scientific evidence against the validity of facilitated communication. Some of my other interests and work are described below.

Basic research interests: The experimental analysis of the behavioral and physiological bases of schedule-induced responding and activity anorexia.

Applied interests: Use of behavior modification to increase independent living skills of persons with severe multiple handicaps. Application of findings in extinction-induced and schedule-induced behavior to the intervention of aggression, tantrums, and similar behaviors in humans. Technical and electronic interventions for persons with handicaps.

Theoretical interests: History and philosophy of radical behaviorism, the analysis of private events, and the comparative analysis of scientific systems.

I am the Secretary/Treasurer of the Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM). Additionally, I do some work with computer based control and data collection for behavioral experiments.